Cat and Mouse
by comfycashmere
Summary: Female Light Yagami vs. L in a continuous battle of wits. I do not own any of the characters or Death Note story, this is just written for fun and enjoyment.
1. Chapter 1

L truly enjoyed their game of cat and mouse. Watching Light squirm, seeing the wheels turn behind her lovely almond-shaped eyes, he enjoyed it far more than he was comfortable with. It was indeed a power struggle, the intellectual battle between two great minds. Light was a bright and promising up-and-coming while "L" was revered as the world's greatest detective. He had her figured out, Light being Kira, but he lacked the definitive proof needed to convict. No weapons, no DNA, only gut instinct and circumstantial evidence that was "convenient." However, the closer L got to Light, the harder it became to convince himself that convicting her to death would be what he wants. At times he considered Kira's beliefs but then shook himself to remember that murder is murder.

* * *

Light Yagami was a brilliant and beautiful girl; L was aware the moment he read her file. The first time L gave Light Yagami any thought was when he studied her default picture attached to Soichiro Yagami's file during the initial investigation of Kira. He knew Kira had ties to the police department, but to what extent he did not know. As a response, he investigated all officers and relatives of these officers that were part of the Kira investigation. Although not earth-shatteringly beautiful, Light was indeed a lovely young woman. She had a sweet and delicate face, with wide eyes, innocent, and yet dark. Seventeen years old but already revered for her brilliant and calculating mind - she was already being scouted for Japan's detective force. The fact that she had assisted in solving cases with her father already gave L some relief that if he requested her assistance with the Kira investigation as a way to get her close, it would not be too ridiculous of a request.

Despite her angelic features and seemingly innocent facade, L learned quickly that underestimating Light was a huge mistake. She was very clever, that was made quite clear after the installation of the cameras and hidden wires throughout the Yagami household...

Light promised Ryuk a magnitude of apples if he found all the hidden cameras in her room and bathroom. _I'll work whatever angles necessary_ , she thought bitterly. She figured this was inevitable, but regardless of how mentally prepared one is to being constantly under surveillance, you can never be truly comfortable. The thought of nameless detectives watching her sleep, shower, and shit was disconcerting. Nevertheless, she had to act like she was none the wiser.

Ryuk gravitated through the walls and offered the final count of cameras throughout the house. Light couldn't barely fight the bile that rose to her throat. _64 camera in her room alone. There's no way the Japanese police would do something as excessive as this - this...this must be L's doing._

"Can I have the apples now please?" Ryuk begged as his odd frame contorted. Light sat herself at her desk and booted her computer, giving Ryuk a side glance. "Come on, there's no cameras outside and I'm desperate!" He continued to plead. Light gave in and fed Ryuk seven apples under the pretense of getting the mail outside.

The remainder of her evening was uneventful, she studied for her exams but had the nagging, impeding thought of needing to shower later. _Will they actually watch me? How many will watch?_ Despite being Kira, a God of Death by her own right, Light found that the prospect of "public" nudity scared her. Perhaps because there's some embarrassment to it, and that she felt powerless. Finally, it was getting late and she could not put off the inevitable any longer.

L had barely taken his eyes off the camera feed from Light's room from the time she got home from school. Given that he had little information on how Kira kills, he was afraid he could miss the "killing" occur. Although he was aware of the cameras in the bathroom, he hadn't actively thought about her routines in there. He watched her stretch up from her desk chair, and make her way to the restroom. Soichiro Yagami shuffled in the seat next to L uncomfortably. Both men turned their attention to next screen and watched as Light turned on the shower, and began pulling off her clothes, layer by layer.

"Ryuzaki please," her father begged. Light was nearly completely stripped, only undergarments remained. L thumbed his pursed lips, his usual physical depiction of him contemplating something. "Very well," he quietly replied. "She is your daughter and I'll respect this boundary." Soichiro sighed in relief as L got up to get more sweet treats from the cart Watari just rolled in. _Ignorance is bliss, Mr. Yagami - surely you must know that I'll watch the feed later when alone?_ L thought to himself as he inspected the various cakes and tarts on the cart. He wasn't going to watch the feed of Light with perverted intentions, he just needed to be thorough.

Deputy Director Yagami left L's suite hours away, barely able to walk from exhaustion. L was still fully awake and had no intentions of sleeping. He watched the feed of Light sleeping peacefully in her bed, occasionally rolling around. She slept with her head on a thin pillow, and her body surrounded by other pillows. The sheet was kicked off at her feet, exposing that her sleep garments only were an over sized t-shirt and panties. L rewound the feed in the bathroom on one of the other monitors until it reached the moment of her being completely stripped. She almost appeared hesitant when she unhooked her brassiere, cautiously lowering it until it finally dropped to the ground. L watched her as she delicately hooked her fingers along the band of her panties and took them off.

He rewound and leaned in closer, watching the response of her body. Her chest seemed to heave slightly, as though she were taking a huge breath before revealing her breasts. He looked at her face in the reflection of the mirror in front of her, and although the camera quality was not the best, he could still see the weariness on her face. _She is aware that she's being watched,_ L concluded. This brought a small smile to his face. _Good, let her be uncomfortable knowing she's always being watched. Perhaps she'll slip up somehow._ But even L knew deep down that wish was in vain, Light was too smart to allow herself any foolish mistakes. Her body language giving away her uneasiness at being naked was not a slip-up in L's opinion - he figured that she would come to the conclusion that there are cameras, and truly anyone would be uncomfortable with being watched during such an intimate moment.

* * *

As days passed, L continued this trend of watching the more private feeds after everyone had left the suite. Light even seemed to care less about the nudity, she would strip casually and brazenly. Much to her father's chagrin, Light would immediately start stripping once entering her room, regardless of where she was coming from, to change into something more comfortable. Her constant stripping and changing eventually made Soichiro give up watching his daughter entirely. "I'll just work on something else," he muttered. L continued to watch however. He noted that she was athletic, with more curves than he initially thought. He noticed some dark shadows on random parts of her body, which when he questioned Soichiro about the bruising, he responded that Light takes martial arts classes a couple times a week. L murmured something in response that Soichiro didn't catch.

It was true that Light was becoming very comfortable with the cameras in place, but she was also hamming it up a bit intentionally with the hopes of causing distress to whoever was watching her. Logic led her to believe it would be her father observing his household, that would be the respectful thing. However, there's no way her father could singularly watch his family, there's bias in that. _L must be watching with him,_ she deduced in her head. _Well then, L wants a show, I'll give him a show._ She began by simply undressing as much as possible, whether it was just to change into a different top or to strip down to her bra and panties and lounge around her room. She swore she could hear groans of dismay every time she started to strip. That thought pleased her. She hoped by being this brazen the cameras would be removed sooner rather than later, but it was to no avail. _You've got to be kidding me,_ Light thought angrily as Ryuk returned from his daily update on the camera situation. She had barely been able to keep up on her Deathnote entries, and now she was about $400 short from the mini-television that she hid in a bag of chips. It was clever, but it was an expensive burden she needed to bear. She hoped that by continuing the kills sneakily while under strong surveillance, it would provide her with an alibi, or at least force L to remove the cameras from the house.

"Hey Light, I heard something interesting...I'll tell you, but it'll cost you," Ryuk said suddenly. Light was studying, but gave him a side glance to let him know she was listening. "I want more apples and I don't appreciate you talking to me like a slave-driver. I'm a Shinigami not some animal!"

Light exhaled, contemplating. Maybe she had been a little hard on Ryuk, but he could be damn infuriating with his lack of help and nonchalant attitude. Plus the way he constantly cackles was highly distracting. She rolled her neck out, and then added a small nod at the end as her acceptance of Ryuk's terms. He grinned in return.

"Your daddy is home, and I heard him mention something over the phone about tonight being the last night with the cameras installed."

 _Dad is home?_ Light thought with surprise. She glanced at the clock - it was much later than she realized. _Shit, I got to get to bed otherwise I'm going to pass out at school._ She felt tense though, and after a moment she began to smile at her computer screen, partially due to relief of knowing the cameras will be gone soon, but also due to a mischievous thought that crossed her mind. _So it's the last night of surveillance, huh?_ With her father being home, it meant that if anyone was monitoring her actions, it would have to just be L. _I'll give L something nice to think about on this last night._


	2. Chapter 2

It was the last night of having surveillance cameras and wiretaps in the Yagami house, much to L's dismay. His gut told him that Light Yagami was potentially Kira, but his brain would remind him that there is nothing to support this thought. Besides, he was less than five percent certain of Light's guilt. There were no other suspects that caught his attention quite like her. It was all circumstantial of course, but L knew that patience and time would expose her guilt. It was close to 3 a.m. when he watched Light move from her desk. _Most likely a trip to the restroom and then bed, she has school at approximately 8 a.m. but breakfast with her mother and sister prior to that._ L was thumbing his lip, watching and waiting for his usual prediction to be true again. Light, instead of heading to the bathroom, went to her closet and opened a drawer from her armoire.

 _Time to give L a send-off like no other…_ Light chuckled to herself as her fingers wrapped around the small instrument in her lingerie drawer. Ryuk cackled darkly and continued to laugh as he gravitated out of the Yagami house to find something else to do. _Good, I have no clue how I would have told him to leave me for a while without tipping off L._ Light could barely contain her smirk as she began stripping out of her outfit - first her pullover, then leggings, bralette, and then finally her g-string. When taking off the panties, she bent down low with her ass up for added effect. _Enjoying the view yet,_ _L? This is just pre-game._ Light was feeling bold, but did for a moment wonder if she was taking this expedition too far. She reasoned that there is a possibility that L isn't even watching her - there was no proof tying her to Kira after all. Plus, it's not like she'd ever see this person.

L sat frozen in his seat as he watched Light skimpily take her clothes off. _What the hell is this?_ He thought, thumb pressing so hard against his lips it made his teeth hurt. He didn't understand what was happening until she laid down on her bed. She was on her back, knees bent and spread apart. L nearly fell over from leaning forward so much, and he quickly glanced around the room to make sure he was alone, and that this wasn't a dream or illusion. He watched her hand move a small tool over her nether parts. Listening intently, he heard a small buzzing and realized she was using a vibrator. He didn't move - couldn't move - as he stared wide-eyed and entranced at the screen before him. He watched her mouth open with soft moans, delicate toes curl, and back arch as indications of the pleasure she was providing herself. Although it felt wrong, his body reacted to the sight, but he refused to act on the carnal instincts he was feeling. He drew in a sharp breath as Light reached a third climax and cried out. Just to be sure, L quickly glanced at the other camera feeds to confirm that Mr. and Mrs. Yagami were still sleeping. It provided L some relief to know they were. L turned his attention back to Light who now turned out her light and curled up contently, with a big smile on her face.

 _Was that for me, love? Is that why you're smiling like that? Because you're a tease and you know I'm watching?_ L thought to himself. He pinched the bridge of his nose, and decided that sleeping was definitely not going to happen anytime soon.

* * *

Watari was instructed to remove all surveillance devices from the home while no one was present. This allowed L to observe one more breakfast at the Yagami house, and he decided to make as much use of it as possible. L had spoken to the rest of the Kira task force and said that he would have the police issue a news alert on all channels. This alert would claim that there will be 1,500 F.B.I. investigators being sent specifically to investigate the Kira case. This of course was not true, but L wanted to gage a reaction from Light.

By the time Soichiro arrived to watch surveillance with L, L was about five cups of coffee in. Sleepily, he mumbled "good morning" to Soichiro and then dropped another handful of sugar cubes into his coffee. "I'm looking forward to this announcement," he casually added to the older man. Soichiro regarded him with a curious look, before replying.

"Ryuzaki, why are you making this announcement? Isn't Light cleared of any suspicion?"

L didn't take his eyes off the screen when he responded, "Please understand that when I said I suspected Light there was only about a five percent chance of her being Kira. By making the police give this false news alert, I'm hoping that paranoia will drive Kira to become irrational and make a mistake." Hideki Ryuga's voice from the T.V. filled the living room and kitchen, as usual. Light was exhausted, and didn't have it in her to whine at Sayu about her choice in shows to put on. Sayu "oohed" and "ahhed" at the dialogue before finally crying out about how romantic Hideki Ryuga is and damning the world for unjustly not giving her a man like him. Light rolled her eyes and chuckled at her younger sister's naivety. Suddenly, a banner appeared at the top of the screen.

"Huh? An important announcement from the police!" Sayu squealed. "It says that in light of the Kira case, the ICPO has decided to dispatch 1,500 investigators from various places to Japan."

Light froze as she sipped her coffee. Ryuk began laughing behind her. _There's no way_ , she thought exasperated. _Oh god, this is probably a test to see my reaction. Be cool, Light. They are still watching._ She collected herself quickly and smirked, "The ICPO sure is stupid, what's the point of making this kind of an announcement? If they're going to send them in, shouldn't they be keeping this a secret? Even the FBI agents investigating in secret were killed by Kira. Why would this be any different?" Light casually sipped her coffee before finishing her thought. "This is just an overblown attempt at getting Kira to expose himself. But I bet this facade is completely obvious to Kira."

L smiled through Light's entire rant, and then finally chuckled when she finished. "Your daughter is very clever."

Soichiro just looked at him with confused eyes, unsure of what he missed.


	3. Chapter 3

It had been a very busy few weeks for Light. Not only had she eliminated the twelve F.B.I. agents that were sent secretly for the Kira case, she was also able to remove the only loose end by killing Raye Penber's finance. _Naomi Misora was too fucking close. She had it all figured it, but luckily she was too trusting of me and exposed her true identity._ It was too bad really, had Light not been Kira, and if Naomi had not left the F.B.I., she would have loved to work with her because she was a brilliant agent. Plus she worked under L in a major case, and there were very few that could say they did that. However, unlike Light, Naomi Misora did not seem to have any Gods to help her on her side. Light recalled how she felt when she admitted to Naomi that she was Kira.

" _Why do you keep checking your watch?" Naomi asked, suspicion and concern touching her eyes. Light smiled lightly to herself, watching the second hand on the watch hit the 30 second mark._

" _Oh...probably because I'm Kira." She looked up, smirking at Naomi. The two stared into each other's eyes for what felt like forever despite it only be about 10 seconds. For a moment, Light wondered if Naomi would try to kill her, but only her expression could react. The ex-F.B.I. agent's face went pale as her eyes widened in horror. Then the Death note took control, and the agent's face and eyes turned blank. Light said nothing, just continued to smile darkly even as Naomi turned and began walking to her final destination._

Light took this as a victory, and damn did victory taste good. Naomi was the only person that Light directly confessed to, and she took a sick pleasure in that reveal right before killing her. She was confident, but not cocky enough to reveal herself as Kira to every person she really wanted to kill. _As fun as witnessing that realization setting in their eyes would be, it would be stupid of me._

Light was at her martial arts studio, stretching before her sparring class. She felt invincible and was definitely in the mood to get physical. She had been training at this studio twice a week for a couple of years now, so she was no novice to martial arts. Her Sensei clapped his hands, demanding everyone's undivided attention. He reminded everyone of the rules of sparring within the studio, concluding with "keep it reasonably friendly - no shots below the belt or at the eyes." He then began pairing off the students, and everyone took their places. Finally, he called out, "Yagami and Ryuga."

 _Who?_ Light didn't recognize the name as one of the usual students. As she started to glance around for her partner, a young man, probably a few or several years older than her, took his place about five feet in front of her. They locked eyes for a few seconds before either of them said anything.

"Light Yagami." He said quietly, in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Ryuga?" Light confirmed, assuming he would give her his first name. Instead he just stared at her, wide-eyed. "What's your first name?" She finally asked.

"Hideki."

Light's mouth twitched to a smirk. "As in the pop star Hideki Ryuga?"

"It is a coincidence." His eyes were still locked in on hers, unblinking and dark. She felt strange, like he was staring into her soul or that he had an ulterior motive. Looking at the man before her, Light decided that there is no way anyone could ever confuse the two Hideki Ryugas. The well known pop star Hideki Ryuga was considered to be the most handsome man in Japan, by many people's standards. The Hideki before her was disheveled looking with longish, messy black hair and baggy clothes. His skin was whiter than any complexion Light had seen before, and his posture was poor. Light couldn't decide what ethnicity he was exactly, since he didn't look completely Japanese. Possibly European mixed with Japanese, she thought. Even hunched slightly, Hideki stood taller than Light by a few inches. His eyes were dark, grey, and gave no indications of emotion. Dark bags under his eyes contrasted his pale complexion. _I guess he's handsome in an emo, mysterious kind of way,_ Light decided, _but still he seems very strange._ She wondered if he was judging her as well.

"Remember, keep it civil! Go!" With the clap of the Sensei's hands, students began taking either offensive or defensive positions. Ryuk decided to show back up at that point and began cackling, "I couldn't miss this! Humans are so interesting - they willingly beat each other up." Light chose to be cautious, she wasn't exactly sure what to make of her sparring partner, so she dropped into a defensive position. Hideki mirrored her position but began moving slightly toward her. Light kept her eyes on Hideki and started shuffling to the side, keeping her hands up, blocking her face. He was the first one to throw a punch, a terrible shot in Light's opinion, and she dodged the hit by moving to the side. She smirked at him as she decided to go on the offensive. She waited until he was about to throw another punch, then she quickly blocked and checked his arm, and then followed up with a strike to his chest. She probably should have held back more, but still Hideki reacted with barely more than a grunt.

"I should warn you, we usually don't hold back here, but I'll go easy on you since you're new," she taunted playfully.

"Hmm, that's too bad." He murmured. Light raised a brow at him.

"Oh?"

"Yes, I was looking forward to a challenge." And with that he swiveled his body and planted a spinning side-snap kick at Light's torso. The air was knocked from her lungs and the world spun around her momentarily as she landed on her back. Ryuk "oooed" at her, "Wow Light, looks like you're getting your ass kicked." _Motherfucker!_ She used the strength in her core and legs to hop back to her feet in a defensive stance.

"I'll give you a challenge," she grinned. He smiled at her, and brought his hands up to guard his face. She began throwing punches and jabs, but Hideki would block them as if he were just swatting flies. _This guy is too good to be new at this._ She moved forward, giving him the idea that she was going to throw a punch when really she attempted to kick out his front leg. He staggered slightly, but collected himself and threw a hook punch. Light blocked it and grabbed him by the wrist, locking him and then yanking him closer to her level. With the opposite arm, she swung her elbow towards the side of his head, but he dropped enough for her to miss. With her body open and exposed, he rammed her into the nearest wall until he was pressed against her, his hands somehow wrapped around her wrists and sprawled them out at her sides. She grunted as she struggled to free herself, and that caused him to chuckle lightly.

"I have to say, Light Yagami, I heard you were a red belt but this is child's play. How disappointing," he said in the quiet and cool tone that he had been consistently using. At first Light was cursing him internally for being so pompous, but then something occurred to her. _For sparring I don't wear my martial arts belt, how could he know this?_ She thought. Using all the energy she could muster, she brought her feet up along the wall behind her and then kicked off hard enough to propel the two of them forward and down to the ground. Light quickly slid up Hideki's lean frame and straddled him, attempting to lock him down with her weight. He was about to bring his hands up to her, but she roughly slammed his arms down above his head. She locked eyes with him and smiled, looking at his face for a sign of defeat. Instead he chuckled, and then swiftly brought his hips up, and rolled Light off and under him so now he was on top of her, but still between her legs. He roughly gathered her wrists with one of his hands and then using the other, he pushed down on Light's inner thigh so that she couldn't wrap both her legs around him. She squirmed and struggled but it was to no avail, he had her pinned good. The more she tried to get out from under him, the more amused he looked, with a small smirk forming on his lips.

"I win," he said with a smile.

L had truly been looking forward to this opportunity, after all, he never made physical appearances during investigations. People were just too frustrating and slow minded to deal with. That's why he has and is grateful for Watari - not only is he a good friend and the only family L has had, but Watari takes care of public appearances, initial meetings, along with errands and such. In this case, L knew observing Light through surveillance cameras was simply not enough. If she was Kira, he would have to make a move to get her to either open up to him, _highly unlikely_ , or make a mistake which would expose her. While a sparring match is no true test of confirming whether Light is or isn't Kira, it could give L a better idea of Light's temperament and personality. Besides, L knows Kira hates to lose, and Light certainly will lose this match against him. He wanted to test her and see how'd she react. Seeing Light in person made L realize that the pictures and videos do her no justice. She was petite, couldn't be any taller than 5'4, and had large coppery brown eyes that did nothing to mask her emotions. Her hair was also a coppery brown and was pulled into a top-knot on her head. She had lovely full lips that seemed to always be either smiling or smirking. _You're not smirking now are you?_ He thought as the Sensei declared Ryuga the victor in this match. Neither Light nor L were aware that their sparring match attracted a peanut gallery, and after noticing, Light blushed. _How_ _precious_ , L mused. He held out his hand and helped her up, saying to her, "this was fun, we must do this again."

She laughed lightly and rubbed her lower back, "yeah, maybe next time I won't be on my back as much."

"Well then, until next time, Light Yagami." As he left the building, Light noticed two things. First, he got into the back of an expensive looking car with a uniformed driver. And second, while shoes are not allowed on the training floor of the studio, Light noticed Hideki leave without shoes on or in his hand.


	4. Chapter 4

It was the morning of the entrance exams and Light Yagami could not be more relieved to be almost done with it all. Obtaining the Death Note was a blessing but it also brought a magnitude of stress that, frankly, Light did not need. The removal of the surveillance cameras and wiretaps took off a lot of that stress, but she still was considered a suspect despite lack of proof. _Raye Penber was killed by Kira, but so were all of the other agents, and yet I'm being suspected because Raye was specifically investigating me._ Light believed that her extracurricular activities - being Kira - would be a lot easier when she entered college. Her free time wouldn't be limited due to the constraints that public school enforced, plus she had intentions of volunteering to the Kira task force that her father and L were part of. _That way I can stay up to date on what police are theorizing, and I can learn L's true identity._

Before all that, Light needed to take her entrance exam, which she was quite confident in that she would pass. Her mother and younger sister Sayu waved her goodbye and wished her luck.

"I don't know why you guys are making such a big deal out of this, it's just a test," she told them nonchalantly. "I do appreciate it though," she added, and it brought smiles to her mother's and sister's faces. Light was one of the last students to arrive to the testing center and the first to finish. She sat in an auditorium sized test room with nearly one hundred students, spinning her pencil between her fingers. The only sound in the room was the sounds of lead scratching at paper, and eraser pulling furiously. The distributor of the test seemed to notice something by Light because his brows furrowed together, and he started up the incline toward Light. Instinctively she straightened in her seat, but he walked passed her.

"Student 162, sit properly in your seat," he ordered someone a few rows behind her. Light was curious, and craned her neck around enough to see toes scrunched up against the table, then she noticed knees pulled to the young man's chest, and the top of messy black hair. Feeling Light's sight on him, he looked up quickly and made eye contact with her. _I know this guy!_ She realized. Ryuk started chuckling, "Isn't that the guy that kicked your ass?" _Hideki Ryuga - what a small world._ His dark grey eyes were widened looking into hers, and feeling uncomfortable, she slowly broke the eye contact off and went back to looking ahead.

"Once you've completed the exam, you have permission to leave," the distributor called out. Light rose, acutely aware of the number of students staring at her, and started to the room exit. She heard a shuffle behind her, and instinct told her that it was Hideki. Once she reached near the door, he hurried ahead and eagerly opened the door for her. _What's with this guy?_ She thought, but she smiled warmly at him and thanked him. Both of them walked together down a hallway that headed toward the building exit.

"Light Yagami," he said in his usual quiet tone. She looked over at him and smiled politely. "It's a pleasure to see you again so soon," Hideki continued.

"I'm actually surprised to be seeing you here, Hideki. I've never seen you at school before." Truth was, Light had never seen this Hideki character anywhere before. Looking at him now, she thought that she certainly would remember him. Today he was wearing slightly loose fitting blue pants and a long sleeved white shirt. Dark shadows were still prominent under his eyes, and his hair was still messy, but clean looking.

"We would have never attended the same school, but I decided recently to apply for university. It's never too late to pursue a greater education," he explained.

"I completely agree," Light smiled warmly at him. Ryuk noticed and commented on why she was being so chipper. _Stupid shinigami knows nothing about basic human interactions_ she thought irritatedly. "So you either completely bombed that entrance exam or you're pretty smart," she said playfully. Hideki gave her a small smile in response.

"I suppose I _could_ say the same about you, Light Yagami, but I know you fall into the latter of the two options."

Light's copper eyes narrowed slightly. _I don't like how he keeps calling me by my full name, how odd is that? Also, what is this guy's deal?_ Her head started to hurt from imagining what Hideki's angle was. Instead of scrutinizing him, she went for the playful approach. She laughed delicately and lightly shoved his shoulder.

"Aww, stop. How could you possibly know that?"

Hideki stared at the spot she shoved, "Good instinct, I suppose."

Before she realized it, they reached the pickup and drop-off area. The really nice car that picked Hideki up at the studio was waiting for him, the uniformed driver holding the back seat door open. "I have to go, but it was lovely to see you again, Light Yagami."

She smiled at him, "Right, you too, Hideki. See you around."

After the car sped off, Light began thinking about Hideki and how strange he was.

* * *

Light breathed in and then sighed in relief. _I'm a college student now._ It was a long journey, and given all the hiccups recently, she was relieved to have accomplished something that is major for any young adult. The more impressive fact was that Light had the highest score on the entrance exam, and was therefore named the representative for her freshman class. Even Ryuk was impressed, "Wow Light, you're in college now. My heart is full of emotion." This was a day that she was excited for, a day for herself, for her personal accomplishments that were not Kira related. Her coppery brown locks were center parted, and loosely waved. She wore a well-fitting A-line dress that was modest, but showed off much of her legs. Her pumps were simple and neutral, to not distract from her presence. She definitely looked and felt the part.

She was curious about the second freshman representative - apparently there was another student that scored perfectly on the exam, just like her. When the time came for the second representative to be announced, Light was not shocked at all. _Of course - this fucking guy is everywhere._ She thought bitterly as Hideki Ryuga joined along side of her at the podium. After finishing the required passage, she observed Hideki read it off. Compared to how smoothly she read, he was as unsure and disheveled sounding as he looked. He wore the same outfit that she saw him in at the entrance exams, but maybe his shoes were different? Still, he wore beat-up, dingy shoes, which was especially odd considering how luxurious of a car he drives off in. The student body cheered as he finished, and they walked to their seats.

"Light Yagami," he greeted in a murmur.

"Hideki Ryuga," she nodded at him. "Guess you are pretty smart too, huh?"

He smiled at her, "You remember me. I'm flattered."

Light laughed delicately, "Of course I do, I'm _very_ good with names and faces." Ryuk began cackling at how ironic Light's comment was.

Hideki chuckled a little as well. "Light Yagami, you are the daughter of Chief Soichiro Yagami of the NPA." Light eyed him suspiciously, wondering where he was going with this. He continued, "You have a strong sense for justice, and you are planning to join the police agency when you come of age. You have, however, helped the police with solving cases in the past and now you are showing an interest in the Kira case."

 _Who the hell is this guy? What does he want?_ Light thought exasperated. She chuckled lightly, rubbing the back of her neck, "I'm afraid you have me at a bit of a disadvantage - you have all this information about me, but I only know your name."

His eyes were locked onto hers and wide. "It will all become clear soon enough. Are you interested in some classified information regarding the Kira case, Light Yagami?"

She scrunched her face a little, "You know, you can just call me Light. And yeah, sure. Let's hear it."

At this point, they had reached their seats, and the next speaker was giving a speech. Hideki's voice dropped lower so that things were as quiet as possible. "I just wanted you to know, I'm L." He kept his eyes on hers, watching her, and gauging her reaction.


	5. Chapter 5

"I just wanted you to know, I'm L," he casually informed Light. His wide grey eyes stayed focused hard on her eyes and face, studying them, waiting for a reaction. He constantly reminded her father, Soichiro Yagami that his suspicions of Light were miniscule, however he was not being completely truthful. For one, there was no proof, just instinct that made L truly consider Light. Also, Soichiro was head of the Kira task force _and_ Light's father. L did not want to concern her father more than necessary, at least not until he had more adamant proof. Truth of the matter was that L considered Light to the be the most likely suspect, and if he had to calculate a percentage, he say he was about 85% confident that she was Kira.

L had been interfering with her life recently, first at the martial arts studio, then at the testing center, and now as the second freshman representative known as Hideki Ryuga. Of course it was an alias, a very ironic and moronic alias.

Now here he was, confessing to his number one suspect his biggest secret. Her warm smile froze on her face, her eyes cold, and then flashes of different emotions. A flash of confusion, anger, and perhaps despair. She quickly turned her head, abruptly breaking eye contact. She closed her eyes and smiled lightly, collecting herself, before speaking.

"If what you are saying is true, then that's incredible, and I'm honored to meet you."

L smirked, seeing through this false exterior. _I don't disbelieve you are "honored" to meet me, however I'm sure you don't appreciate this method of introduction. You, Light Yagami, are not in control anymore. I am._ "Yes," was all he said, as he turned his attention back to the speaker.

 _That bastard_ , Light thought bitterly as she unintentionally glared at the speaker on stage. Ryuk was cackling next to her, "Whaddya think Light, is this really L?" _It's possible that it really isn't L, but why would someone lie to her? No one knows that she is a suspect in the Kira investigation except for the task force. This could be a stand in - but what if it isn't? There's no way Hideki Ryuga is his real name, and even if it is, if I write the name in the Death note, I might accidentally picture the actor's face instead of L's!_ Light was boiling, but she kept her physicality as neutral as possible, although her fists clenched and released a few times. _If the actor were to die suddenly, L would have far more reason to suspect me. In the off chance L's true name is Hideki Ryuga, and I do picture him correctly, if he were to die just after introducing himself to me, I'm completely fucked._ She argued with herself, exasperated. _I. Can't. Do. Anything._ She glanced over at L, watching him. His knees were pulled up to his chest, and he was looking ahead, eyes wide and he was thumbing his bottom lip. Light was baffled that this could possibly be L. He looked less the part of the most renowned detective and more of a mad genius.

After the ceremony, Light rushed outside. She needed air, and especially needed to be away from L. She wasn't there for long when everyone else began exiting and she heard her name get called. "Uh-oh, sounds like your new friend," Ryuk chuckled. She spun around and saw L coming towards her, hands shoved in his pockets.

"I believe we got off on the wrong foot, so I'd like to extend an invitation for coffee and treats at a place of your choosing," he offered, his tone quiet and cool. Light was slightly taken aback, but managed a small nod at him. "Excellent, if you do not mind, I'll slide in first so that you don't have to worry about your dress...um, rising." He waved over to the car that usually picks him up, and Light actually felt slightly anxious. _He's strange, but why do I feel nervous? I'm sure he's harmless, but still, I better be cautious. No doubt he'll be judging me and everything I say._

She smiled at him, then followed him into his car, "I appreciate your concern for my...dress."

* * *

"Watari, this is Light Yagami, Light, this is Watari," L made the introductions between the uniformed driver and Light. He glanced at her in his rear view mirror and smiled.

"Deputy Director Soichiro's eldest daughter?" He questioned. After Light smiled warmly back and nodded, he continued, "I'm afraid your pictures do your beauty no justice, you are quite lovely, my dear."

Light's cheeks blazed as she felt L's eyes on her hard. "Yes, I suppose she is," he agreed quietly.

"Thank you, both of you. You certainly know how to make a girl blush," she giggled. _Keep the coy behavior going, perhaps I can just flirt my way into L's good graces._ The ride was not long, which was good, for both L and Light's sake. Tension hung between them, making it difficult for Light to relax. Occasionally, L would ask her if she was comfortable, or if she wanted something to drink. She would politely respond, just like a good, young woman that is not a serial murderer would. Sometimes she would feel L's gaze on her, so she wanted to give him a hard time for staring at her. She would cross her legs, causing her skirt to inch up in incriminates. This little move made Light feel as though she got some of her power back, especially because she knows L must have noticed her now very exposed legs. She managed to shimmy her skirt up even higher without suspicion, so now her skirt truly was only there to cover her panties. Light hoped it made L as uncomfortable as she would feel when he would stare at her. Sure enough, she heard L inhale sharply, most likely at the sight of her, and also noticed that L did not look over again but instead seemed very focused on passing traffic.

Watari dropped them off at the coffee shop Light frequently visits. The coffee and pastries were delicious, and for the most part, the shop was usually quiet and private. After they ordered their beverages, Light led L to a secluded table. They sat in silence, staring into each other's eyes intensely until their drinks and L's slice of cake were dropped off. Light sipped her iced flat white delicately while she observed L. He sat in his unusual position, humming to himself as he plopped sugar cube after sugar cube into his coffee until the cup was nearly overfilling. He looked at his mug, seemingly satisfied, then looked back at Light and smiled.

"Isn't this place great? I come here all the time and usually sit here. It's nice and quiet, and there's no through traffic so we should be alone," she paused and took in L's posture, his thumb now pressing against his lips. "Not to mention, we're so out of the way, no one will give you a hard time about how you sit." Her tone was playful, exactly how she wanted to play this scenario. _Surely even L must enjoy being flirted with, part of him must be normal._

"I don't sit this way because I want to, I _have_ to. You see, if I sat normally, my deductive skills would be significantly reduced - by about 40%." He murmured, his thumb rubbing at his bottom lip with slightly more vigor.

Light chuckled, "well we certainly wouldn't want that, now would we?"

He stopped rubbing his lip and smirked slightly. "I have a feeling you may think differently when we're through here," he said quietly. "With your permission, I'd like you to submit yourself to a test - one that will measure your deductive reasoning skills."

 _I feel like there's more to this test than simple deductive reasoning, but I have to admit, I am curious._ "Sure, why not," she responded, taking another sip of her drink. She then gave him a devious little smile and added, "sounds like fun."

He blinked at her, obviously taken aback, but continued. He pulled a few photos from his pocket and set them down in front of Light. "None of this information had been made public, but some of Kira's victims, prison inmates, wrote out some messages in prison just before their deaths. Please, take all the time you need, but I would like your opinion on these."

Light scoffed internally, _what does he expect me to do? These images are numbered on the back, and truly the only way to read the message is how I, Kira, intended. Of course if I get the message right the first time, will L suspect me as Kira even more? Surely me getting a message correct isn't proof to my guilt._ "It's incredible, not only can Kira kill from a distance, but it seems he may be able to control the last actions of his victims." She chuckled lightly. "It even looks like Kira left a message for you, almost like he's mocking you." _Or she._ Light re-arranged the images around so that the order was correct. "See? By arranging it like this it says 'L, did you know that Shinigamis love apples?' Of course if you arrange the images the way they are numbered, the message makes no sense grammatically."

Their eyes were locked, and after a moment L said cooly, "that's incorrect."

"Huh?" Light said, baffled. _This must be a trick._

"The thing is, there were _four_ photographs, not three. When you add this one, the message says, 'L, did you know that Shinigamis who love apples have red hands.'"

 _That's a fake, I never had a criminal write this one! What is he, stupid?_ "My deduction skills were perfect, it's not my fault you withheld information." She could feel herself getting gradually more frustrated.

"No, if you figured out that there were four photos, then it would have been perfect. Even though you knew the message was incomplete, you decided there were only three photos. You never even considered there may be a fourth. What is your opinion on that?" His eyes locked on hers, scrutinizing.

 _Damn him, this wasn't just a test. If I keep falling for his tricks, I'll be falling right into his hands,_ she thought bitterly. She sipped her drink then smiled, "well you got me, I guess my deductive skills aren't perfect after all. I doubt this message will lead you to Kira though. After all, we know Gods of Death don't exist - "

"If you were faced with someone you suspected were Kira, how would you go about establishing this person's innocence or guilt?" He questioned abruptly.

"I would try to make them say something that wasn't made public, something only Kira would know. Kinda like what you were doing just now," she responded, a little to quickly she realized. L smirked in response.

"Truly incredible. I've asked many detectives that same question but it took them minutes to come up with an answer. It's almost as if you were prepared to be interrogated as Kira. I'm impressed, you'll make a fine detective Light."

 _Ehh, not so fast._ She chuckled, "that's kind of a double-edged sword though, the more impressive I am to you, the more you'll suspect me of being Kira."

"Yes, in fact, my suspicion of you has increased a little bit," L countered, Light choking on her drink slightly. "But it has made me that more determined to have you on the task force, if it is something you want."

"I would love to -" Light started, too quickly, too excited, she needed to slow her roll. "I mean, I want to, but I certainly don't want to be killed by Kira, and what proof do you have to show that _you're_ not Kira? Hardly seems fair for only me to be investigated. At this point, neither of us can prove that we _aren't_ Kira, however it shouldn't be difficult for you to prove to me that you are indeed L. Maybe if my dad or someone else from the task force confirmed who you are, then I would be willing to work along side with you."

L maintained eye-contact and thought, _you sure do love to talk, don't you Light? Typical for someone who hates losing. My suspicion of you has increased even more. Could you truly be Kira?_ "I never said you couldn't meet anyone from task force so that I can be identified. I am currently working with your father and several other detectives who would be more than happy to confirm my identity to you."

 _Well, that was easier than I expected._ "Once you are confirmed to be L, I'd be more than happy to assist in any way I can."

At that moment, Light's phone started vibrating on the table, and then L's phone started ringing. The message was the same, and both Light and L looked at each other with panic plainly on their faces - _Soichiro Yagami had a heart attack_.


	6. Chapter 6

The fact that Soichiro Yagami was not dead yet confirmed to L that this could not have been a Kira incident, but that the heart attack was due to something else. Watari drove L and Light speedily, and while L was concerned for Soichiro's health, he was curiously observing Light. She did appear genuinely distressed, another sign that she could not have been involved with her father's heart attack. _She hides her true self well from most, but not me. I know what you are, and I know what you're capable of,_ L thought as stared at her. He could read her like a book - if it were a poorly written, angsty, young-adult novel. Light had a terrible poker face, something that L appreciated, and she tended to be dramatic despite her attempts to maintain a cool facade. Her concern and the panic that filled her eyes were all genuine, L was certain of that.

"I'm sure your father will be fine, he's in good medical care," L reassured her as they arrived at the hospital. Though still uneasy and slightly panicked, Light did agree with L's statement.

After locating Soichiro's hospital room, Light burst in through the door to see her mother and sister by his side. "Dad!" She called out. "What happened? Are you okay?"

Soichiro smiled weakly at her concern. "I'm okay Light, I just need some rest is all." He then looked up and noticed L, and instinctively straightened.

"Please, Mr. Yagami, relax. Your health and well-being are everyone's concern, mine included," L told him quietly. With his permission, Soichiro exhaled, and seemed noticeably more relaxed.

"I need to be alone with Light and this man, may we have some privacy?" Soichiro asked, and reluctantly, his wife and Sayu left the room, talking about the cafeteria. Once the room was empty with the exception of Soichiro, Light and L, Soichiro chuckled lightly, "it appears as though the Kira case may be the death of me. Too much stress the doctors said."

Light glanced at L, clearly thinking of something. "Dad, it sounds like you need extra help with the task force. Let me join and I can help take the load off, at least while you recover."

Soichiro's eyes widened and his jaw tightened, he did not like this idea. "No. I will not have you risk your life for this."

"I'm not going to die, Dad, but _you_ will if you don't accept extra help. You won't need to pay me, and I have experience in solving cases. Mom and Sayu don't need to know either!"

"You have responsibilities, Light. College is far more important," Soichiro argued. "There will be plenty of cases for you to work on after you finish school. Perhaps cases less dangerous…"

"Are you kidding me? Working on the Kira case is as good as it will get. You know I can be of great assistance. At least let me help out part time," Light urged. L watched the two go back and forth in his usual sitting position. The prospect of Light working under him was oddly exciting. He couldn't quite place why he felt this way, whether it was due to his suspicions of Light or because of something else. When Light and her father's argument was going nowhere, L interjected. "With all due respect, Director Yagami, we need more help. Even I am finding that I'm lost," he noticed the surprise on both father and daughter's faces. "Light has proven herself to me that she would make a strong, and necessary, asset to the task force."

Light looked baffled, and then looked back to her father and waited for his response. "I don't like the idea of you risking your life for this case, but since you are eighteen, I cannot legally tell you what to do," he sighed, defeatedly. "If L wants your skills for the task force, then I'll have to agree with him. He knows best."

 _That's the confirmation, this guy really is L!_ Light thought to herself as she looked over at L. "I won't let you down, either of you. I promise," she said as she squeezed her father's hand in hers. Light and L spent a little more time in the room but then left when Sachiko and Sayu returned. Light was exhausted, it had been such a long and dramatic day. Her and L took the elevator down to ground level in a comfortable silence. Once outside, she began to veer off toward the train station when she felt cool fingers wrap around her wrist gently.

"I can't allow you to travel by those means at this hour, and besides, it seems like you're my responsibility now," L murmured. Light was grateful that L was giving her a ride, the trains were not her ideal motive of transportation, and considering it was well after midnight, she would not have felt safe.

"My hero," she cooed sleepily. Although drowsiness blurred the corners of her vision, she noticed L smile. _He is kinda cute,_ she thought, but then immediately shook her head. _He is L, without a doubt. He is Kira's enemy, my enemy. My enemy cannot be 'cute.'_

Just as he had when Light first accepted a ride from him, L slid into the back seat first, and then took Light's hand and guided her in the car gently. She lazily pulled the car door shut, but due to her sleepiness, she must not have closed it completely. "Sorry," L said quietly, as he reached across her to firmly shut the door. Light had turned her head just at the right moment, and she lightly brushed cheeks with L as he was falling back into his seat. They both stiffened and stared at each other for a moment before L broke the contact and instructed Watari to drive to the Yagami house. It wasn't Light's intention, but somehow along the ride she ended up with her head against his shoulder, and his arm draped over her shoulders, lightly holding her against him. In being so close to L, Light noticed a couple of things. He was surprisingly more muscled than she would have originally imagined, and he smelled like a delicious combination of sweet and woodsy. Her arms were bare and L's lithe fingers delicately traced unknown outlines on her skin. It was soothing, and soon she drifted to sleep. Her dream was vivid and short, containing just her and L. He was on her, just as he was in the martial arts studio, and his cool fingers moved up her body and then wrapped around her throat. She didn't fight it, not because she couldn't - oddly she somehow knew that the strength was in her dream self - but because she wanted him to do what he wanted. His fingers tightened and his eyes bore into hers, but they turned bright red and he smiled. "Kira," he sighed. "Thank you for the show."

She abruptly woke up, clearly startling L as well. "I'm sorry," she apologized, straightening herself back up. She suddenly felt alone and cold, and almost regretful that she left his embrace.

"Actually, the timing is good, we are here," L waved passively outside, and Light realized that they were outside her family house.

"Oh, I didn't give you an address…" she thought out-loud awkwardly.

L smirked, "You didn't need to, I know _everything_."


	7. Chapter 7

"So, there is another Deathnote in the human world, huh?" Light Yagami could not believe how the universe seemed to be on her side. A message from "Kira" was publicly broadcasted, essentially demanding that the police allow Kira free reign to deliver justice as deemed necessary. To prove that this "Kira" was in fact Kira, two television show hosts died, as scheduled, on live T.V.. "Kira" said the right words - _I don't want to hurt the innocent, I hate evil, and I love justice. I see the police as allies not enemies_. _I want to create a new world without evil, and as long as no one tries to catch me, the innocent will not die. Even if you don't agree with me, keep your opinions to yourself and you will be safe._ "Kira" added that the police have four days to make a decision on whether or not they will be Kira's allies or enemies, and that there are two response videos prepared to air dependent on their decision. Most importantly, this "Kira" demanded L make an appearance on national T.V. as a message to Kira that the police will cooperate. Then chaos erupted when an officer was killed right outside of the network's building, clearly attempting to stop the broadcast, and eventually a bus drove through the entryway.

"My dad said that whoever has this _Kira_ power is unlucky, or cursed, but honestly, Ryuk, I don't feel cursed at all. In fact, I feel better than I ever have," Light told the shinigami hovering behind her. "Luck has been on my side this whole time." She chuckled to herself, enjoying the moment, but that fell short when she began thinking this broadcast through. "I'm fortunate that this person agrees with Kira's beliefs, and they must have the shinigami eyes, making themselves far more powerful than me." Light remembered when Ryuk offered her "the deal" in which she would trade half her remaining life years for the ability to see everyone's names above their heads, an ability referred to as having the shinigami eyes. She obviously refused the deal, how idiotic to trade so many years for something no more than just being convenient. The only name she truly cared to learn was L's. Her way of learning his name will take longer, yes, however, it will be more fun than losing half her remaining life.

Light began thinking out loud, "if I leave things as they are, L should be finished off in the next few days." Ryuk grinned at her. "However, I can't forgive how this impostor has tarnished the Kira name with these senseless killings on T.V.. Plus, if this person isn't as careful as I am, they will be caught and may reveal the Deathnote," Light shook her head. "This is bad; unfortunately I cannot allow this person to continue much longer. I need to join the task force soon so I can learn the identity of this pretender and kill them before they cause more trouble." Ryuk cackled in response, unhelpful as always.

* * *

It was within that same evening Light received a phone call from her father, asking if she was ready to assist in the Kira task force. She readily agreed, then it dawned on her, "Dad, why aren't you resting at the hospital?" Apparently, her father was the one who drove the bus into the Sakura T.V. headquarters. He got a little banged up from it, however this act of bravery was well worth it, as he was able to confiscate everything that the fake Kira sent. He told Light that hopefully they can pull forensic evidence from the tapes or envelope. Light made a mental note to destroy the evidence somehow. It was late in the evening when she arrived at the task force location, which was set in a suite within a generic hotel. The location was ever-changing, according to her father. Despite her guilt, she was legitimately excited to joining the task force. _I'll be right under their noses, obtaining new leads and new information, and they'll be none-the-wiser._ Except for L, he made it apparent that he suspected her, but there was no proof. Light's priorities were to eliminate this fake Kira, then learn L's true identity, kill him, and after that, who knows? The end-all goal is to change the world, and obviously, Light would be the God of the new world.

She knocked on the hotel suite door and was swiftly greeted by a smiling, young detective. "Hi, you must be Light!" He certainly was enthusiastic, which when compared to how somber the rest of the task force was, his personality was a welcome change. He made small talk with her as he led her into the main room. _Yeah I'm definitely in the right place_ , she thought as she observed the space before her. There were bulletin boards, computers, laptops, and stacks of papers scattered throughout. Multiple television sets covered one wall almost entirely. Light smiled politely, and nodded in acknowledgment to the other task force members, giving her father a warm smile when they made eye-contact.

"Light, thank you for joining us. A fresh set of eyes will do this task force good," L greeted her in his usual murmur. "For obvious reasons, everyone has been assigned an alias, including you. You are now Light Asahi, but to keep things simple, I'll continue to refer to you as Light."

"Very well, I completely understand. I'm assuming you are not going by L here?" She questioned.

"You are correct, for the remainder of this investigation, I am Ryuzaki." He then introduced Light to the others. The cheerful one was Matsui, followed by Moji, Aihara, and her father, Asahi.

"Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to assist in this case, I so badly want to take Kira down as well," she told the task force. "I am surprised there aren't more people on the task force, it seems like we'll really have our work cut out for us." Light was expecting double, maybe triple the number of task force members. _Works for me, less identities to learn. I may need to kill off the task force entirely, but let's not get too carried away._

"There is another member, you've met him before, Watari -" Ryuzaki started, but was then distracted when the older man made his appearance into the room. Light and the other members turned to acknowledge Watari, and noticed he had a pair of women's pants draped delicately over his arm. "We will not be needing those pants anymore, Watari, Miss Asahi decided to wear pants instead of a skirt today."

Light's face blazed with heat, from embarrassment and fury, as the other task members either smirked or looked baffled at her and then Ryuzaki. Her father spoke out first, "Ryuzaki, do you have an issue with how my daughter dresses?"

"Outside of the investigation, absolutely not, but I do typically find her attire distracting," Ryuzaki responded in a tone that was no different than if he were explaining why the grass is green. Ryuk cackled with amusement behind Light as she face-palmed. The other task force members began mumbling their opinions on what qualifies as women's professional wear.

"Okay, can we please discuss the Kira investigation?" Light intervened. Ryuzaki curled his legs up and began thumbing his lip, while making little noises to depict that he was thinking.

"Yes, but I reserve the right to continue this discussion later," he finally responded. Light guffawed, and then looked to the other members for their reactions. All stared intently at her, awaiting a response.

"Umm, no," Light said with uncertainty. Ryuzaki's eyes narrowed slightly, thumb still jabbing his bottom lip.

"This is going to bother me, I don't know if I can think critically under these conditions," he whined.

"Well, then I guess it's good that I'm here," Light attempted to shift the conversation. "You needed my critical thinking abilities, well here I am. Update me." Her father was about to start discussing something, but Ryuzaki interrupted with, "I wish to speak privately with you later, agree or we simply cannot move forward."

Light's eyes widened in exasperation and she looked around for some assistance in the other men but they were just there to enjoy the show. _Oh god, 'enjoy the show,' was that a dream? Did L really tell me that and I was too tired to recall reality from dream?_ Light didn't consciously think about her "private show" for L and how he has seen her, but after that "dream" where he told her he enjoyed the show, she couldn't push the thoughts away. Even as he stared at her intently, she wondered if the thought of her masturbating crossed his mind every time he saw her.

"If those are my only options, then I guess I have no choice," she sighed. "We will continue the discussion later."

With that, Ryuzaki seemed to ease up slightly. The corners of his mouth twitched into a small smile. "Good," was all he responded with for that topic. "I want your opinion on some videos that Kira sent. These were initially sent to Sakura, however, they were never made public."

They played multiple videos that Kira sent, and stayed silent through all of them. Light definitely noticed, but fumed internally at the mediocrity of the videos and how this "Kira" was a disgrace to everything the true Kira stood for. _If I leave it alone, L will most likely be killed in a few days when he is forced to make a public appearance. I'll just stay silent._ When coming to this decision, Ryuzaki crept up next to her, quietly, and asked, "what do you think, Light? Did you come to any conclusions?"

Light turned and looked up at him, and he stared down into her eyes. His eyes wide, and thumb pressed against his lips. _Damn him! Another test._ Light rose from her seat and explained her theory about this being a second Kira. Ryuzaki's eyes widened further, and a small smile appeared on his face. The other detectives gasped, and Matsui exclaimed, "no way! That's _exactly_ what L - I mean Ryuzaki said!"

Light looked back into Ryuzaki's cool, grey eyes and continued, "I'm assuming you intentionally didn't tell me that you also believe this isn't the work of the Kira we're familiar with because you wanted to see if I could draw the same conclusion as you?"

"Yes, that is correct. As suspected, you did not disappoint, Light. It is decided then, we need to stop this second Kira first. This copycat could be very easy to manipulate - they clearly want the attention of Kira, but they also lack the sophistication that the original Kira possesses. I suggest we make our own video, impersonating the real Kira, to lure the copycat out."

 _Brilliant, absolutely brilliant. Granted, I would have come up with an idea like that too._


	8. Chapter 8

Part of Ryuzaki's plan was for Light to play the role of Kira in their message. "I cannot think of a better person to script the message of Kira," he had stated, as if the thought had just suddenly crossed his mind. _We both know that's complete bullshit, L. This was a calculated move, but nevertheless, I'll take advantage of this situation._ She initially showed some resistance and her father gave a weak protest, but ultimately Light agreed because she really did not want to cause a scene over something so trifling. Besides, it's a win-win - Ryuzaki gets his small victory in seeing Light act as Kira, but Light also gets to script a message as Kira to the second Kira and the police will allow her to publicly broadcast it. _Actually, this is perfect,_ she finally decided, as Ryuzaki escorted her to a more private wing of his suite.

"I assumed you may want some privacy to collect your thoughts," he started when he let her into the master room. Once he shut the door behind him, leaving only the two of them in the room, Light turned and snapped at him.

"What is your deal?"

Ryuzaki blinked at her, clearly taken aback. "I'm not sure what you're referring to, Light."

"The pants," she said quietly. Ryuzaki cupped his ear to indicate for her to speak up. "The pants!" She raised her voice a few octaves.

"Oh, well it seems obvious, do you really need me to explain?" _God, the arrogance of this man!_ Judging by the look on her face, Ryuzaki continued, "I find you to be physically distracting, and when you wear revealing clothes, it only makes it that much more difficult to work."

It was now Light's turn to just blink at him, unsure of how to react. "Uhh, is that a compliment?"

"Don't be naive, Light. You know what you are and you know how to get a man's attention," before Light could say anything, Ryuzaki cut her off. "Please, do take all the time you need for this script. I need it to be perfect, and I don't mind making the second Kira wait."

If she waited long enough, Ryuzaki would be forced to make an appearance on Sakura T.V.. This would obviously be a trap to have him killed, but as much as Light would relish in seeing him publicly die, she needed him and his resources to identify the second Kira. She set these bitter thoughts aside, and smiled at him, "Oh, I won't need much time."

Ryuzaki stared hard into her eyes and then replied with, "you must find it easy to imagine yourself as Kira then."

Light laughed out loud, a short and delicate sound, and sat down on the edge of the bed. "I'll admit, there are times where I have imagined how useful Kira's power would be."

Ryuzaki was intrigued by where this discussion was going, and curled into his usual sitting position on a love seat across from the bed. "I didn't think you agreed with Kira's message, Light."

Light scooched back on the bed a little and crossed her legs Indian-style. She pursed her lips and thought carefully of the wording of what she was going to say. _Regardless of how I respond, L is going to judge me. Still, a little discussion about Kira can't hurt._ "Overall I don't, but there are some criminals that had been out of reach that I believe would be the exception," she explained. "What's the harm if the person is guilty but escaped justice?"

Ryuzaki's eyes were locked on hers, and his toes curled and uncurled as he responded, "And what if the person was not guilty? Don't misunderstand me, I'm not opposed to the death penalty, however, you're playing God with this power and it's a dangerous game."

 _He thinks I don't do any research on the killers? What am I, an idiot?_ Light scoffed instinctively, "Okay, for arguments' sake, let's say there is no doubt that the criminal is guilty. Perhaps he escapes to Peru or Canada, and suddenly is without reach. Kira's power is useful because, as determined by the task force here, Kira seems to only need to know a person's face and name to kill. That escaped criminal would cease to be a threat. I think most people would appreciate this intervention."

A slow smirk formed on Ryuzaki's face, "You're neglecting a very important fact, Light. In fact, I find your choice of words quite interesting and revealing." He paused, and Light's brows furrowed together in confusion. _What is he getting at now?_ "I find it interesting that instead of using the word 'execute,' you used 'kill.' Now, you may be thinking, _but Ryuzaki, those two are essentially the same_. In essence, perhaps, however, 'execution' is more of a sentence carried for a condemned person, whereas 'kill' is, well, less judicial and more macabre."

 _Damn him, he reads into things that I don't even notice!_

"Don't neglect to remember the deaths of the F.B.I. agents that were sent to investigate Kira. Were they criminals? No, they were just perceived to be a threat to Kira, and that's why they died. Kira is nothing more than a serial killer with a God complex," he rose from his seat. "If you need assistance in writing the script, give me a shout. I'm in need for something sweet, and luckily, tonight is ice cream night."

* * *

It really didn't take long for Light to write the script up. Everything she wanted to say as Kira was written, far more eloquently than then the trash that the second Kira wrote up. She called for Ryuzaki and he came shuffling in, sipping a milkshake. As she handed him the paper, he frowned, and gave her his shake.

"Watch this for me, will you love?" He said in an almost sweet voice. Light shrugged, and then stared at him as he read the script. He held the paper so bizarrely, almost as if there were germs covering the paper that he was afraid to touch. He pinched the top of the script and held it close to his face to read, mumbling along with the lines as he read. "I knew you were going to script the perfect message for the second Kira. Very impressive work, Light, however, if you don't omit the line 'you're free to kill L,' I will die," he said as he looked into Light's eyes.

She laughed legitimately, smirking to herself, "Oh you're right, I'm sorry, I must have gotten carried away trying to be Kira. Feel free to change whatever you want, Ryuzaki."

Most of the task force dispersed for the night, leaving Aihara and Matsui working in one room, and Ryuzaki and Light in another. She flipped through paper files while sitting on the bed, and Ryuzaki sat the floor, the light of his laptop illuminating his face. Music played quietly in the background of their work space. _Why am I still here, I'm looking at files of potential suspects knowing damn well I'm Kira. I highly doubt the second Kira is in here too._ She glanced up and observed Ryuzaki - his eyes focused hard on what he was reading, and his thumb pressed lightly against his lips. He looked like a porcelain statue with how still he was. Light's eyes wandered to his chest and shoulders, and she found herself imaging what he must look like topless. _What the hell am I doing?_ She shook herself, breaking her glance away momentarily. She tried re-focusing back on the files before her, but it was to no avail. In her peripheral she noticed he moved, so she slyly moved her gaze back to him. His legs were crossed and he was leaning back on his forearms, still focused on his laptop. Instead of just illuminating his face, his body was now in the light too. _God help me, I'm attracted to my enemy._ Light realized shakily as she took his form in.

"Are you enjoying the view?" She heard the smallest voice say. Light nearly gasped when she glanced up and met Ryuzaki's eyes. He smirked lightly, but didn't adjust how he was sitting. Ironically, "Take My Breath Away" started playing next on the radio.

"I'm sorry," Light muttered quietly, forcing herself to look down at the files. _How mortifying_ , she thought, _and I'm playing this off like a drooling idiot._ Although she kept her eyes glued to the papers in front of her, she heard the small sounds of Ryuzaki closing his laptop and getting up. Light felt nerves kick in when Ryuzaki climbed into bed, and sat right next to her.

"Light," he almost sighed, "do I have your permission to touch you?" Her heart pounded hard in her chest, she was sure he must hear it.

"What are you going to do?" She asked, almost nervously. She brought her eyes up slowly to meet his. His grey eyes almost had a warmness to them, making Light feel slightly more at ease. She felt her legs going to sleep so she stretched them out, making a mental note of how his eyes broke away momentarily to take them in.

He smiled, "it's all innocent, don't worry." And Light oddly trusted that. _Why do I trust him? He shouldn't trust me, this shouldn't even be happening, all of this is just...wrong._ She thought, trying to convince herself.

She nodded, and said quietly, "yes, you can touch me, Ryuzaki."

His eyes left hers, and he set one hand gently on her shin. Even though the touch was above the layer of her pants, the light contact made goosebumps form on her body. He noticed her body react and smiled, "when we're alone, I want you to call me L." His fingers were cool on her warm skin, and they began massaging her shin, slowly working down to her bare foot. "You don't mind, do you?"

"The name or the massage?" Light was barely able to speak. Her body ached for him, but her head screamed for her to knock this shit off.

He chuckled, "both, I suppose." He brought his other hand in, and both began working on her foot. "You feel so tense, please relax and enjoy. I actually know what I'm doing." He wasn't lying - he expertly moved his fingers, incorporated his knuckles and then hands to rub and pull deeply. It seemed like he was massaging her feet for what felt like an hour. At one point, while continuing the massage, he looked up through his lashes into her eyes. A small smirk appeared on his face, possibly a reaction to how pleased she must have appeared. Light's face felt hot but the moment was so intimate that she didn't want to break the contact. She didn't notice when he stopped massaging her feet, and was climbing on top of her, moving cautiously, not taking his eyes off hers as he positioned himself between her legs. Her body was now fully against the mattress, except for her legs, which were bent at the knees and spread, with L between them. His face was merely inches from hers and she could smell the sweetness of the milkshake he had consumed on him. "Light, I would like very much to kiss you."

She almost chuckled, smiling instead, at how cute he was for asking permission. It was strange, she never had been asked like this before, and yet it was a turn-on. "Please do," she breathed agreeably. _This is so wrong..._ she felt so conflicted, but the carnal urges prevailed over logic for her. He was initially hesitant, giving her the lightest of kisses on her lips, before applying a bit more force. His lips were cool and soft, fitting against hers perfectly. She felt his hand move up her body and lightly grab her chin, pulling her mouth against his more. She took the hint that he wanted more so she began kissing back a little more aggressively. She ran the tip of her tongue along his bottom lip, and she could feel him shudder against her. _He wants me as much as I want him_ , she thought, relieved. His lips smashed against hers harder, and his hand slid behind her head, his fingers getting tangled in her hair. He wrapped her hair around his hand and pulled back, allowing him full access into her mouth. His tongue tasted sweet in her mouth, and just as expertly his hands were, his tongue massaged against hers with just as much skill and thought. Light found that she was actually surprised by his skills. She moaned and his grip tightened in her hair. She fought back with her tongue, using it to explore his mouth, and when he attempted to re-take control, she pulled back slightly and bit down on his bottom lip. He hissed quietly, but the bite didn't deter him. The taste of sweetness and copper filled their mouths as they made out passionately. She wanted to feel him, all of him, so she slid her hands under his shirt, and then brought them down to his hips and began clawing at them. He moaned in return, and then abruptly broke away from the kiss.

"Do you want me, Light?" he asked her, his voice heavy with lust. Him just asking her caused a stir in her loins.

"Yes, so badly," she hated how she sounded almost as if she were begging, but she needed him. He smirked, then kissed her hard. "You want me too?" She questioned, almost shyly. Even though the circumstances of them being together wasn't the best, Light did feel some pride in knowing that the world's greatest detective, L, wanted her sexually.

"Touch me and you'll feel how much I want you," his voice was low. His mouth was back on hers, attacking and ravaging her lips and tongue. She slid her hands over the front of his body, starting high, and then bringer them lower until her hand was just over the bulge in his pants...

 _Bbbrrrrrrppppp bbbbrrrrpppp!_ His phone was vibrating violently on the floor next to his computer. He broke the kiss off quick, but was hesitant to move from between Light's legs. She nodded, internally furious at the interruption, and he looked at her apologetically. He scrambled to the phone, and answered it awkwardly.

"Yes?" he said. Light could hear the light sound of conversation on the other end of the line. "Hmmm, that is troubling. Yes, I'll look into this immediately." And with that, he clipped his phone shut, and then turned to look at Light. "The timing is horrendous, however, something of paramount has come up and it requires my immediate attention."

Light understood, but playfully pouted, "And here I thought _I_ was of importance to you."

L flashed her a rare grin, and then approached her swiftly. He laid back on top of her, and kissed her deeply. "You absolutely are, but duty calls," his lips trailed from her lips, to her jawline, to her neck, slowly over her blouse, and even more slowly and painfully over her abdomen. "We will definitely continue this-" his lips kissed over her sex through her pants causing Light to moan out loud, "- soon." And then he pressed his mouth once more against her for good measure, before he turned on his heel, sat down on the floor, and began working on his laptop again.


	9. Chapter 9

Light barely recalled getting home, her mind was lost and she was confused. _What just happened?_ Everything escalated so suddenly between her and L, and before she knew it, he pulled away, leaving her longing and lonely. She was still wrapping her head around how delicate of a situation this now was when she unlocked the front door to her house. Light hoped everyone would be asleep, and that she could sneak away to her room without a million questions, but unfortunately, both her mother and sister were awaiting her arrival.

"Light, you're getting home awfully late. Have you been on campus studying this whole time?" her mother asked, a tinge of concern in her voice. Light had been keeping her involvement with the Kira task force a secret. No doubt her mother would have strongly disapproved.

"Uhh, for a bit yes, but then I went out with a friend of mine," she made up on the fly. "We must have lost track of time, I'm sorry mom."

Sayu appeared behind her mother, "oooo! Was it a boy?" She asked excitedly. Light scoffed, thinking of L and how he used his fingers and tongue so expertly on her.

"Of course not, I was with a girl," Light responded, walking up the stairs. She heard Sayu shriek at the bottom, "oh my god, I didn't know you were into girls!"

 _God my sister is so stupid sometimes,_ Light thought irritatedly. As Light locked herself in her bathroom, she heard their mother tell Sayu to settle down and get to bed.

Light stripped quickly and hopped in the shower, setting the temperature to nearly scalding. The heat attempted to relax her muscles, but it was to no avail. _What the hell was I thinking?_ She scolded herself. _Stupid, stupid Light. Not only is he your boss, he is your enemy._ Light's line of thinking diverged momentarily from being angry with herself, to enjoying the fantasy of sleeping with the enemy. She shook the thought from her head and continued scolding herself. _He is L, you are Kira. He strongly suspects you are Kira, maybe this is all a ploy to get you to open up to him...in more ways than one._ Light seriously contemplated this theory - could that all have been an act? _Damn him, if it is true, then maybe it would have worked. Either way, whatever that was, that "exchange," can never happen again._ Light pushed her thumb against her bottom lip, a habit she must have picked up from L, as she adamantly came to this conclusion. Her lips were swollen from the kissing, and the memory of L ravaging her mouth came back to her instantly. She could still taste him on her tongue. She had wanted all of him then and there, and was willing to take him, but their passionate tryst was cut abruptly. _It will be for the best,_ Light thought, trying to convince herself of something she wasn't sure she believed.

* * *

She hesitantly arrived at the hotel room the following day wearing false confidence, toying with the idea of whether or not she should say anything to L. Upon entering the room, she saw everyone was there gathered around the T.V.. Light heard the familiar distorted voice that belonged to the second Kira, and realized that a response video must have just arrived. _Wow, that was quick,_ Light thought in amazement. It was a relief, really, that this impostor was so eager to get in touch with Kira that they would respond so quickly. It was also a relief that there was something to do immediately, which allowed Light more time to consider the conversation with L.

L cocked his head toward Light, "It appears that the second Kira was eagerly awaiting a response from Kira. Watari sent me this video late last night, but I decided to only just expose this to the task force." The detective known as Aihara gave L a side glance that did little to hide his annoyance at L's delay. _I guess L rubs a number of people the wrong way._ _Although, he rubbed me right last night..._ Light mentally scolded and smacked herself for allowing the perverted thought to slip into her head. "Come, we'll restart the video, we haven't watched much."

Light listened intently as the video began. Immediately she knew that this second Kira could very easily be manipulated. The voice pleaded with Kira, and said that they would do as Kira commanded. _An interesting thought, but if this person really knew what I wanted then they would have still demanded L make a public appearance. This idiot is no use to me if they are going to fall for this kind of bullshit._ Light was deep in this line of thought that she almost missed how casually the second Kira said, "I don't think you have the eyes..."

Light gasped a little, as the other detectives murmured about what "the eyes" could mean. _What the hell is this idiot thinking?_ Light almost wanted to throw her chair at the T.V. to make it stop, but instead she resorted to digging her nails into the arms of the chair. She anxiously glanced over at L to see his reaction, and was immediately concerned. The typically stoic and monotone man looked pale, eyes widened in alarm. Clearly the task force didn't get this far into the video when she had arrived.

The second Kira continued, "...but don't worry, I would never try to kill you. Please tell me how I can meet you without the police knowing. When we meet, we can confirm our identities by showing our shinigami to each other."

 _He's a liability!_ Light was in near panic mode, and the rest of the task force was reacting strongly as well. _If I don't do something about it quickly -_

L let out a wail of despair before he literally fell out of his chair. "Ryuzaki!" The detectives rushed to his side, checking to see if he was okay. _Jesus Christ, this is a nightmare!_

"Shinigami?" L started shakily, "am I supposed to believe they actually exist?"

Ryuk, with his perfect timing, appeared to Light, cackling as he observed L shudder in fear. "Hey Light, want me to spook everyone?" he cackled through a grin. _I need to put an end to this._

"Of course they don't exist - are you serious? I didn't think you believed in those sorts of things, Ryuzaki," Light scoffed. She thought for a moment, pressing her thumb against her bottom lip as the task force waited for her to speak. "The word 'shinigami' may refer to how they kill, saying that they'll show each other their shinigami probably means they'll prove who they are by showing their power. They'll most likely kill someone publicly."

The fear left L's eyes while Light explained her theory, and when she finished, he pinched the bridge of his nose. "That sounds more...realistic. The probability of shinigamis existing is highly unlikely." He gave Light a small but wary smile, and then held eye contact for a brief moment before Light looked away. Just that small interaction with L caused her cheeks to flush.

Light exhaled in relief, thankful that she could reason with everyone. _I may have deterred this problem, but the second Kira is still a huge liability. I need to locate and kill this person as soon as possible, but I need to tread with caution. Since they have the eyes, whoever it is will be far more deadly than me._

* * *

Over the next few days there were a few important developments. L had decided that the task force would no longer send out messages as "Kira," claiming that this was now between the real Kira and the second Kira. Light did not fail to notice that L had made direct eye contact with her when he said this was between the two Kiras - _that bastard._ Light then realized, _damn it, how am I supposed to get into contact with the second Kira now?_ However, luck, as always, was on her side. Watari delivered a large envelope to the task force one day, saying that it was sent to the police department. Inside was a copy of a schedule from what seems to be the second Kira's journal.

"This is from last year," Light realized after examining the dates.

"The year is beside the point - take a look at the entry for the 30th," L instructed. Light read over the entry, and was baffled. _"Confirm our shinigami at the Tokyo dome"_ \- _this must be when and where the second Kira wants to meet Kira. If the police air this, everyone will know, and surely this meet-up could never happen, right? Besides, how could second Kira pick me out from the crowd? He won't be able to see Ryuk unless he were to touch my Deathnote, which of course would never happen._

"You've been awfully quiet, Light, is something wrong?" L asked, eyes hard on her face. Light looked over the paper and made eye contact with him. _On top of all this, I still need to figure 'us' out..._

"I'm just trying to figure this out is all," she responded with a small smile. Perhaps it was her imagination, but L's face seemed to soften a little. Despite how adamantly Light believes the two of them could never work, confliction seemed to always strike her hard when she was with him. _It's possible he could use me for the truth, but then again, he may believe the same thing about me. The problem is, I don't even know if he'd be totally wrong._ "At this point in time, all I can say is the second Kira must be stupid."

Matsui agreed with Light eagerly, "yeah, it's completely obvious he wants to meet with Kira on the 30th!"

Soichiro Yagami chimed in too, "doesn't he understand what the consequences would be if this were to air? The game would be canceled, and there would be mayhem."

L groaned and perched himself on a chair as he thought out loud, "to be honest, this situation is so stupid, I don't even know how to handle it anymore." He popped a couple of chocolates into his mouth before continuing his line of thought. "If we make this journal public, surely the game will be canceled, but if we don't air it, then we know the second Kira won't do anything."

The rest of the task force sat themselves on the sofas around L. Matsui questioned, "wouldn't canceling the game make the second Kira angry? Who knows how he'll react."

L popped his third chocolate in his mouth, and hummed while considering this, "I don't think that will be a problem. It's obvious that the second Kira looks up to Kira and agreed to halt senseless killings. I'm inclined to believe him. I say we air it, we'll also make a public statement that the game will be canceled, and that checkpoints will be set up around the dome's perimeter. We'll also create a response from Kira, saying something along the lines of, 'I understand, I'll see you there.'"

Soichiro quickly cut in, "Ryuzaki, you don't truly believe that they would show up for that?"

"The real Kira wouldn't, but there is a chance the second Kira may, it depends on how stupid and desperate they are. However, we should investigate these other dates, in the off chance that the real message for Kira is better hidden than the 30th entry." L skimmed his eyes over the journal, "on the 22nd, he's meeting a friend in Aoyama, the 24th, another friend in Shibuya...keep an eye out for people with notebooks in Aoyama and people in clothing stores in Shibuya."

 _Damn it, it's just as I thought. If this second Kira makes a mistake or slips up, I'll have to kill him then and there and of course confiscate their Deathnote. Worst case scenario, I may have to kill everyone there somehow, but I'm getting ahead of myself._

"We'll set up surveillance cameras all over Aoyama and Shibuya, but we should also have a team of investigators there," L finished as he sipped his overly sweetened coffee.

"I should probably go to those places, I'd blend in with the crowd easily," Matsui said cheerfully. _This is my opportunity,_ Light decided.

"Me too," she said quickly. Of course, her dad argued against it. "I go there all the time, dad, and besides, I'd look the most natural with Matsui there. The second Kira will be there looking for Kira, not the police."

She realized after she finished talking that L had been staring at her, a small smirk on his face. _Of course you would be one of the first to volunteer for this, Light. Your reasons, on the surface, make sense, but I find your eagerness to cooperate in Aoyama and Shibuya suspicious. Likelihood of you being Kira has increased, Light Yagami,_ L thought.


	10. Chapter 10

The 22nd had arrived, and Light arrived in Aoyama accompanied by Matsui. Although, jittery and uneasy, Matsui looked the part - dressed in nice, business casual clothing. His youthful exuberance made him appear several years younger than he actually was. Light opted for a cute, little wrap dress and flats, something she would usually wear when going into the city. She introduced Matsui as "a cousin from out of town" to her peers when they all met up.

"He _needs_ a girlfriend, let's find him one," Light said teasingly with a playful slap on Matsui's chest. Her peers all laughed heartily as poor Matsui blushed hard.

"Ugh come on Light," he whined in response. This got him more laughs and sympathetic pats on the back. Finally, they all started walking around together as a group. Matsui stood behind Light, listening to the ramblings of one girl, but not really paying attention. He observed Light's behavior - she would sometimes hold the hand of a young man that was part of their group. _Takada was the last name, I believe,_ Matsui tried to recall. There were so many of them, eight including himself and Light. Light was obviously comfortable with the man, on the surface they appeared to be dating. _I didn't know she had a boyfriend! I bet L doesn't even know this!_ He did find it odd that L would so strongly suspect Light, she seemed like a normal college girl. Yet, the night before, L called Matsui and instructed him to keep a close eye on her. _I just don't see it, but I'll trust in L's judgement._ They poked their heads into shops, but mostly just window-shopped. So far, there was nothing suspicious occurring.

Unbeknownst to Light, Matsui, and even the remainder of the task force, L decided to do a little field work. He trusted Matsui, however, he knew that he was naive and may overlook many behaviors or signs. He followed Light's group from a safe distance, but was close enough to where he could pick up on some conversation. _I doubt any of them will notice they are being followed, after all, we're in an outdoor mall basically,_ L thought to himself. Plus, he looked quite different. He wore slim, khaki colored pants and a light blue button-up shirt, sleeves rolled and cuffed at the elbow. His usually messy and long hair was pulled back into a bun, and he wore black-rimmed glasses. He even walked differently, standing straight, despite his discomfort with it all. L watched blankly as an attractive and charismatic young man put his arm around Light and brought her against his shoulder. She laughed and shoved him away playfully. L took her in, all of her - the short yellow wrap dress she wore hugged around her curvy frame perfectly, exposing her athletic legs. L allowed himself to fantasize about her every once in a while, and at that moment, all he could think about was how he wanted to bite all over her legs. He shook himself, and shifted his attention from fantasy to reality. _Focus, L, you can savor those thoughts later, right now you need to watch where Light is going._

Light seemed to hesitate outside of a book store, slowing her pace noticeably, at least to L. While still walking, she stared into the shop.

"Want to look at some books, nerd?" The touchy young man asked her jokingly.

She smacked his arm, and he laughed. "Last I checked, you had one of the highest GPA's on campus. What are you calling _me_ a nerd for?"

"Second highest, actually, after you," he pulled her into his arms and gave her a quick kiss on her lips. L groaned and looked away. _Why am I so bothered by this? I shouldn't care about something so trivial._ Ever since his and Light's sexual encounter not too long ago, he hadn't felt the same. He felt scatter-brained, and whenever Light was nearby, he could barely think. He had her scent memorized, and even just smelling her presence was enough to make him long for her. _She's just a girl, a pretty girl that may be a killer._ He tried simplifying Light but found that he couldn't. She was more than just looks, scent, and suspicion - had circumstances been different, they could be a perfect match. _I just need to get laid, that's all there is to this._ L pinched the bridge of his nose, and reminded himself that he is still human, and certain needs have to be fulfilled. _Perhaps I can find someone today,_ he thought, slightly hopeful, but mostly bitterly.

Light, Matsui, and the others walked around for another couple of hours before stopping at a bar. _If the second Kira made an appearance, I did not see it. Light also never spoke to anyone outside of her group. Could it be someone that is already close to her?_ L followed them into the busy bar, and wondered this. _Not very likely,_ he decided. However, even though he could have called it a night since nothing happened, L stuck around in the bar, observing Light. He ordered the sweetest alcoholic drink he could manage, a Dirty Shirley, which is essentially a spiked Shirley Temple. Normally, he wouldn't consume alcohol, especially in public, but it was a long and disappointing day. Plus, he knew he was going to need a buzz if he was going to attempt to pick up a girl for a casual hook-up. He had a couple of girls come over to him, obviously far more intoxicated than him. They were getting rowdy, and it ended up getting Light's attention. L inhaled sharply as she glanced in his direction, making eye contact for what felt like minutes. Her brows furrowed and she frowned, possibly due to her trying to figure out where she recognized L from. Just the difference in hair style should be enough to throw her off, L was sure of it. The glasses were an extra differentiating feature. Eventually, she turned away, mainly due to her "boyfriend" shoving a shot of some liquor in her face. _What a piece of work,_ L thought, annoyed with the situation. Much to his surprise, Light threw the shot back, and then another, and then another. He could hear Light getting loud, yelling at the guy until he eventually left hurriedly. L couldn't help but smirk at his dismissal. Matsui looked absolutely uncomfortable - some of Light's female friends were getting very touchy and flirty with him. _He's a good guy, a good head on his shoulders. He doesn't want to break cover, but he also knows he's teetering on a thin line now. I should help him, somehow._

L ended up discreetly ordering a round of "Bahama mama's" for the ladies, and told the bartender to try to avoid giving away that it was him who bought the drinks. While passing cash to the bartender, L made eye contact, again, with Light, who was at the other end of the bar. Even with all the distance between them, he could tell her eyes were glazed over and that she definitely feeling the alcohol. She gave a sexy half-smile, and blew a kiss as her friends giggled and laughed. Once the drinks were made and distributed, Light's friends shrieked and began demanding who bought them the drinks. The bartender did his duty and shrugged, "a guy that wants you ladies to have a good time, I suppose." They kept insisting, and eventually the bartender pointed to a random group of guys. A few of the girls hurried over there, nearly tripping on their feet, Bahama mama sloshing unsteadily in their glasses, and began thanking the guys profusely. They looked confused, but played along with it. L chuckled, he was enjoying this. Although he was not "with" them, he still felt like the observing alone was enough to satisfy his need to socialize.

He was about ready to leave when he got a tap on his shoulder.

"I know you bought the drinks," he turned, and looked down into Light's warm copper eyes. They were misty with intoxication, but nonetheless, still warm and lovely. "Don't worry, I'll keep it a secret between us." She smiled up at him. _Does she recognize me?_ L thought, a slight panic building. He maintained composure.

"I have no idea what you're referring to," he responded with a small smile. He felt warm inside from the multiple Dirty Shirleys he consumed, but wasn't nearly buzzed enough to have no control of himself. "Those guys over there seemed very interested in you and your friends. I wouldn't be surprised if it were them who bought the round for you."

Light chuckled and stepped closer to L, causing him heart to beat harder. "I also happened to notice that you've been interested in me all night," she said in a low, breathy tone. "In fact, you've been watching me for a while now."

 _Damn, I shouldn't have underestimated her._ "Oh? Someone doesn't lack for confidence," he said playfully. "Tell me, how have I been watching you?"

Light stepped closer to him, she was now just a few inches away from his body. She had a coy look on her face, but still, she maintained eye-contact. "You've been following me all day, I saw you in the reflections on the store windows -" _Dammit. "_ \- and I caught you staring at me all night here." L inhaled, keeping his composure. He was still pretty confident that she didn't recognize him. He decided it was probably safe to flirt back.

"Well, I am only a man," he started, lowering his voice. "You are the most beautiful woman here tonight, I couldn't help myself but watch you."

Her small smile turned into a dazzling grin, and she leaned into him. Her hand gently against his chest, she said in a voice heavy with desire, "you can do more than just watch me, if you want."

L was immediately aroused after hearing her speak that way to him. He felt conflicted - on the one hand, she had wanted him in the past, that was made clear. Also, she is of age. However, she was quite buzzed. He was too, but he believed that he was in better control of himself than she was of herself. _I want her to be safe though, what if she goes home with someone less considerate?_ All these thoughts went through his head in milliseconds, the pros and cons to taking her home versus leaving her here. He decided he needed to buy more time.

"Do you live close?" He asked, knowing exactly where she lives.

"Yes, but...I live at home with my family," she said uneasily.

L gave her a warm smile, and brought his hand her face, cupping her chin between his thumb and the rest of his fingers. "We'll be quiet, and I promise, I can be gone as early as you want me to leave."

A flush appeared on her face, and she agreed. Grabbing his hand, she led him out the bar.


	11. Chapter 11

Light hailed a taxi and gave the driver the address to the Yagami home, an address that L was already familiar with. Throughout the entirety of the ride, Light gazed dreamily at L. L knew he was guilty of staring at people as well, however, given how this was out of the ordinary for Light, he felt somewhat uncomfortable with the attention. He decided to stare back at her, and a wide smile spread across her face.

"What?" She asked, chuckling.

"I don't know, you were looking at me first," L responded, a small smirk on his face. "Why were you staring at me?"

She bit her lip, "I'm trying to place you, I feel like we know each other."

"Perhaps we've crossed paths at To-Oh?"

"That's definitely a possibility! Or I've seen you out at a party...you're not in a fraternity right?" Light's behavior and the slurring of her words were a continuous reminder of how intoxicated she was. _I won't do anything, I'll just make sure she gets in her room safe,_ he decided.

He chuckled in response, "and if I were in a fraternity?"

Light groaned dramatically and shifted her posture so that her back was against the car door and her legs stretched across the seat, with her bare feet in L's lap. _She is tempting though,_ he thought as he took in the sight of her bare legs stretched out. "I'm just saying, frat guys are generally assholes. Up until _realllllllllyyyyy_ recently, I was with a frat guy."

 _That must have been the man that left the bar, the one who had been so physical with her. Interesting._ "Oh? I'm sorry to hear that," he lied.

She looked L hard in the eyes and smirked, "no, no you aren't."

The car began to slow, indicating that they had arrived at Light's house. After paying the driver, he looked back over at Light and gave her a small smile, "you're right, I'm not sorry to hear that. In fact, I feel elated knowing that you are not with anyone."

Something in her eyes flashed, and her face became slightly more serious. "I suppose we should go in." She gathered her belongings, slipped on her flats and led L to her home. _Does she truly not recognize me? This is almost hard to believe...yet I'm walking a thin line, and for what purpose? Selfish reasons..._ L had sent Watari a text to keep him updated, most recently informing him that he is at Light's, so if anything were to happen to him, assume that Light is Kira. _I suppose Deputy Director Soichiro Yagami would recognize me, and would most likely not appreciate Light taking me to bed. Death by Light's father is a slight, but possible outcome as well._ Before entering the house, Light held her index finger to her lips - the universal signal to be quiet. L nodded, and silently followed her inside and up the stairs. His heart beat faster with every step, knowing her bedroom was close. It was funny to him, he knew the house so well and yet he never stepped foot inside of it. Finally they reached her room.

L stepped in, and looked around. _Looks different from this angle._ He imagined the locations of the cameras that Watari had installed - truly nothing had been out of view. L heard the soft sound of Light sitting down on her bed. He looked over his shoulder at her and found she was staring at him, a shy smile on her face.

"I feel like I would've approached you if I saw you on campus or at a party," she pursed her lips, lost in thought. "There's something about you...it draws me in."

L, for the first time ever, felt somewhat bashful. He chuckled, "trying to make me blush?" He walked over to the edge of the bed, but hesitated to sit next to her. Instead, he shoved his hands into his pockets. He tried to keep his posture perfect, but it was difficult for him to think analytically when he stood so straight. "Why is that, do you think?"

Light smiled up at him, "you're an enigma - I can just tell," she tried to explain. "Maybe it's just cause you are a stranger, I don't even know your name."

 _Definitely not giving her my real name,_ L thought for a brief moment, and decided to go with a name that Light may react to. "Raye." Light could hear Ryuk start cackling next to her. _What is so amusing about that?_ She thought bitterly. _Strange that his name is Raye, I've only encountered one before...and...what a minute, Ryuk laughed when Naomi gave me an alias! Could this mean...?_ Her brows furrowed slightly, and she frowned, but then her face relaxed. The man continued, "And who do I have the pleasure of becoming acquainted with?"

She looked at her feet and smiled. Then she slowly looked up at him, her frame rocking slightly from the alcohol. She then responded, quietly, "Naomi." Ryuk was practically rolling at this point. Light smiled to herself. _This is...interesting._

L kept his face composed, allowing a small smile to spread on his lips. _Well played, Light. Now the question is, what do we do now?_ "A beautiful name for a beautiful girl," he responded thoughtfully. They were in a peculiar position - L knew at this point that Light must know or deeply suspect who he is and that the name is clearly a fake. L clearly knows that Light gave him a fake name, but if he calls her out on it, she will definitely know that "Raye" is actually L. _However, so what if she has figured me out?_ He pondered. _All it proves is that you had been trailing her; She is quite aware of her status as a suspect, this changes nothing...just that I willingly came home with her._

"Now you're going to make me blush," she grinned at him. While looking at her, L began to reminisce on Naomi Misora. She was a brilliant F.B.I. agent that he had once worked with on a high-profile case. Additionally, she was engaged to fellow F.B.I. Agent Raye Penber, the very agent assigned to investigate Light Yagami. Although he was confirmed to have died, an obvious victim of Kira, Naomi has been missing. _She was strong-willed, there is no way, despite how much she loved Raye, that she would have committed suicide. Even if she had, where is her body? Kira must be involved in this somehow._ His stomach instinctively churned at the thought of Kira killing her off. He looked into Light's eyes, so warm and opening, and imagined if these were the same eyes that Naomi saw last.

 _Strange...how conflicted I am,_ L thought to himself. _How can I be so attracted to Light and yet strongly suspect her of being this heinous killer?_ His mind moved a mile a minute, attempting to come up with a plan immediately. He knew he had to either create an excuse to leave or stay...but staying would mean he would most likely be sleeping with Light. _I know what my body wants, but is this really wise?_ She was showing indications that she was sobering up, so thankfully, L didn't have to worry about how "present" she was, or if she was incapable of making decisions. _Now, what do I do?_ He decided to play it flirty by saying, "I can think of a few other ways to make you blush." L groaned internally after saying it, but anything he could do or say to not make himself sound like "L" would be best. _Anonymity would be preferred,_ he decided.

Light gave him a sly smile and raised a brow. "Oh? I have no idea what you mean," she said innocently. Her voice feigned innocence but her body position told L that she wanted him. She had re-positioned herself so that she was now half laying down on her back, with her upper body being supported by her forearms. Her legs were slightly raised and bent at the knee, but knees were still together, hiding the view of what's under her dress. L couldn't help but bring himself closer to her, sitting along the edge, his hand just inches from her ankles.

"Well, I suppose I could just show you..." L gently wrapped his hand around one ankle and gave it small rub. He looked up through his lashes and was pleased to see Light bite her bottom lip in response to his touch. "Only..." he trailed off intentionally. He released the grip he had on her ankle, and delicately ghosted the tips of his fingers up her calf slowly. Her body stiffened under his touch.

"Only?" She questioned, her voice somewhat frazzled sounding.

"If you beg me," L said, so quietly and yet so confidently.

 _Damn him,_ Light thought. _And here I thought I had the upper hand..._ "What do you want me to say?" She asked through a sly grin.

L kept his eyes locked in on hers, mesmerized by the desire burning in them. He answered confidently and coolly, "I want you to say, 'Raye, please touch me.' If you do good, we'll go from there. If you disobey me," he chuckled lightly, "well, neither of us want that."


	12. Chapter 12

Light's heart pounded against her chest as she listened to "Raye's" request. _Damn that's kinky,_ she thought in approval. Her _very_ recent boyfriend, Kiyomo Takada, was a bit too reserved sexually, which was disappointing to Light. She wanted to push the boundaries, but he wanted to stay within the lines. L held her gaze, awaiting a response, fingers still lightly skimming up and down her calf. "Raye..." she started quietly, her voice heavy with desire. "Please touch me."

He responded with a wicked smile, and applied more pressure to his touch. His hand groped her calf and began massaging her tenderly. He brought his other hand in and mirrored the same motion on her other leg. "Tell me how you want me to touch you, do you want me to take this slowly or..." he murmured, pausing his actions, "I could stop this teasing and take you now."

Light's breath hitched in her throat. "Slowly," she said. L frowned.

"That doesn't sound like a proper order," he told her firmly. "Try again."

"Uhhh," Light thought for a moment. She was so turned on that it was difficult to form words, let alone think. "Raye, please tease me. I want you to take this slowly."

A sound of approval escaped from L's lips as he climbed onto the bed, kneeling at her feet. "Good girl," he murmured seductively. He continued to massage her calves, bringing his touch lower to her bare feet. He felt how stiff Light's body was, so he massaged her to assist in relaxing her for him. He had absolutely no qualms in taking this slowly, even if it meant teasing her all night. Once he felt Light's body relax, he decided to take things up a notch. He turned his attention to one of her feet, raising it until his lips grazed the side of it. A small moan escaped her, and she quickly bit down on her lip to stay silent. "Do you want me to use my mouth?" He questioned. Her eyes widened and gave a small nod. "Tell me to use my mouth," he ordered, his breath ghosting over her skin, causing Light to shudder in pleasure.

"I didn't realize you had a fetish for my feet," she accidentally slipped out. The two of them froze momentarily, but then L smirked.

"Hmm, that'd odd, what you said doesn't sound like what a good girl would say," L said thoughtfully. His tone was light, but his gaze was hard, locked in on Light's eyes. "Are you really going to disobey me this early in?"

Light was relieved that he ignored the comment she made, and was immediately pulled right back in where they left off. "I'm sorry," she said hurriedly. "Please forgive me, Raye. I promise not to disobey you again."

He smiled against her skin, waiting for her follow-up. Light realized, and quickly added breathlessly, "Raye, please use your mouth on me...however you want."

L had been aroused, but now his pants felt almost unbearably tight. He was tempted to strip and take her then and there, but resisted, reigning in his own arousal. _Not yet, focus on her._ "How gracious of you," he planted a few small kisses on the side of her foot. "What a good girl you are. Good girls get pleasure, bad girls get pain." He nibbled her foot lightly, causing her to shudder.

 _Is he going to tease me like this all over?_ Light thought, exasperated. She was so turned on she didn't know how long she could wait. While lost in her thoughts, she felt something warm and wet slide up the side of her foot. Her eyes popped open immediately, and she saw that he was using his tongue on her. She moaned, louder than she wanted to, and put her fist to her mouth to bite down on. Never would she have considered _this_ to feel as pleasurable as it did, but every time his warm lips kissed her skin, and his tongue ran over parts of her foot, she shivered and moaned into her fist. His mouth moved over her toes, and Light nearly cried out when he took them into his mouth. He used his mouth expertly on her - running his tongue over and in between, sucking, and nibbling on her toes. She gripped the blanket under her, squeezing as she felt heat build up inside her core. _Oh god, this is too much,_ she was near climaxing. L watched her, greatly enjoying the view. There was nothing like watching a beautiful woman climax. He pushed her over when he applied more pressure with his teeth, biting down on her toes a little more roughly, and then sucking them harder. Light could taste blood in her mouth from how hard she bit down on her fist, but she didn't care. Her world blurred around her as she writhed in ecstasy.

"Please, Raye," she cried out. He paused, taking his mouth off her. "Please, I...need you, please," she continued to beg. She was on her back completely, eyes tightly closed, and was still feeling the effects of her orgasm. He regarded her, chuckling to himself.

"Yes, I suppose it would be too much on your body to do the same to the other foot," he lightly rubbed the neglected foot and she started to cry out, but quickly brought her fist to her mouth again. "Lucky for you, I want to taste another part of your body. Now spread your legs for me, darling."

Light moaned thinking about what must be in store for her. _If he could make me cum from doing that to my feet...I think he'll be the death of me._ Her body quivered lightly as she slowly spread her legs apart for him. Her eyes were still clamped shut, but she heard him moan in approval. Opening her eyes, she saw the feverish look of a man clearly aroused on his face. His eyes met hers, lust obvious in his stare. "I'm not going to lie, I don't know how much longer I can hold out for...but I plan on bringing you to at least two more orgasms before I fuck your pretty brains out." He didn't tease her for too long this time, his hands ran up her thighs, and then his long fingers cupped her sex. Light shuddered against his touch.

"You've been responding beautifully," he began rubbing his fingers over her panties gently, feeling and appreciating the slight curves to her sex. "You're so wet for me already..." his voice was low and husky. Light moaned into her fist, and slowly started rocking her pelvis closer to L's hand. L couldn't comprehend how he had gotten so lucky, but he wasn't about to let this opportunity slip by him. "Tell me what to do, sweetheart."

Light moaned, "Please Raye, rub my pussy like that. Over the panties for now."

L smiled at her and ran his fingers over her mound, enjoying the feel of all of her. Her panties were getting soaked and her moaning indicated she was getting close to another orgasm. L focused his attention on the area surrounding her clit, and she shook under his hand. "Raye -" she panted, "please finger me."

"Anything you want," he murmered, as he slid her panties to the side and eased one finger in. They both sighed as his finger gently slid in and out of her slowly. Light felt so warm and tight around his finger, _she's going to need to be spread out a bit more for me._ He slid in a second finger and used his thumb to stimulate her clit. He could hear Light's staggered cries and moans as he began fucking her faster and harder with his fingers. He slid a third finger in and continued his quick and hard pace. Light's eyes were clamped shut, but she suddenly felt the front of her dress getting pulled, almost violently, apart. Her breasts were now exposed, and despite L having three fingers deep inside her, she felt oddly bashful and covered her breasts with her hands.

"Move your hands, now," he ordered, voice deep and husky. Her eyes popped open, and L looked at her impatiently. "Is that defiance I see in your eyes?"

Light gasped lightly at his tone, but could not form the words to respond.

His face softened slightly, and he asked her again, "Please, Naomi, let me see all of you." Light had almost forgotten this role that she was playing, but hesitantly lowered her hands, exposing herself fully to the man before her. Desire flashed in his cool grey eyes - _so familiar to me_ , Light thought. "Everything about you is beautiful, I don't understand why you are so shy," he said to her in a sweet tone. He eased back into the tempo of fingering her, and she felt the warmness build inside. _He makes me feel so incredible...is this just the sex talking though?_ She pondered. Heat reached her cheeks, and she moaned quietly. All of the sudden, she felt his lips on the base of her throat. He left a variety of kisses as his lips trailed down her chest - some gentle, some open mouthed, and little nips along the way. He ran his tongue over her breast before taking a nipple in his mouth, and sucked it roughly. Light bit down on her fist to keep from crying out and her back arch, pushing more of her breast into L's mouth. He moaned in response, but released her nipple from his mouth.

"This is for being defiant, you bad girl," and with that, he bit her breast, not hard enough to draw blood, but enough to where Light knew there was definitely going to be a mark. Her muffled cries were mingled with moans as he left marks all over her breasts. She felt him withdraw his fingers, and his mouth began its descent downward. She shuddered imaging the ecstasy he was going to bring her with his mouth there.

"I've been looking forward to this," he murmured quietly against her inner thigh. He placed a few scattered kisses in the surrounding area, teasing Light. "You've been good at being quiet, for the most part, but now I'm really going to need you to keep it together. Do you think you can?" He asked her with a smirk. Light met his eyes and nodded, fist against her teeth. _My poor hand is so mangled,_ she realized. "Good girl, now tell me what you want."

"Please, Raye, eat me," she breathed. And with that request, he dove right in. His warm mouth and tongue was all over, covering her sex, kissing and lapping at her folds. He moaned against her, clearly taking a lot of pleasure out performing oral on her. Light nearly screamed out as she instinctively arched her back and her thighs clamped around L's head. Her shudders didn't slow his mouth - he sucked on her and lapped up her juices like she was a tasty desert just for him. Just when she thought it couldn't feel any better, she felt his tongue enter her. Her hands grabbed at him, pulling his hair, urging him deeper. His hands reached under her, gripping at her ass and raising her hips so that he could dip his tongue in more. His nails dug in hard, and the combination of both the pain and the pleasure pushed Light over, and she screamed out for him.

That's when they both froze, realizing what just happened.

"Oh shit!" Light hissed, and lurched out of bed to her bedroom door. She hastily locked it in time, and a series of knocks pounded.

"Light? Light! What's wrong?" Her father hollered. L smiled to himself, pleased that her true identity was revealed before his, but annoyed that they were interrupted. He wiped his lips of her juices, and strode over to Light, placing a hand gently on her shoulder. She looked up at him apologetically. "It was just a nightmare, I'm sorry for starling you," she lied.

"Light, please unlock your door," Soichiro pleaded. _Dammit,_ she thought angrily. She felt irritated and embarrassed, but mostly guilty that she received so much pleasure and the man didn't.

"Okay, just a sec," she shuffled L to her bedroom room and opened it for him. "I'm so sorry," she apologized quietly. "I want to make it up-" she was cut off by L's lips pressed firmly against hers. The kiss was quick, but she could feel the passion behind it. As he climbed out of her window, she asked him, "when can I see you again?"

He turned and smiled at her, grey eyes glinted with amusement, "much sooner than you think, Light."


	13. Chapter 13

Light was running quite late for work at the Kira task force, which was entirely due to the fact that she was sleep deprived. The day before, herself and Matsui scoped out Aoyama in an attempt to cross paths with the second Kira. Unfortunately, nothing came of it except for a persistent hangover that was refusing to diminish. _Well, there also was "Raye"..._ she recalled, feeling a slight blush spread across her cheeks. She noticed him following her and her friends at some point during the day. Although she was initially just suspicious she was being followed, when Raye also happened to be in the same bar, she realized that she was indeed being tailed. The man had piqued her interest - he was attractive and she was positive that she knew him from somewhere. She had tried to be coy in watching him, but it did not go unnoticed. Her boyfriend, Takada, started behaving aggressively when he caught Light glance over at Raye a couple of times.

 _"You know him or something?" Takada had asked her, pulling her into a hard embrace. She could smell the whiskey on his breath, and hear the possessive undertones in his voice. Instinctively, she looked back at Raye again._

 _"I'm not sure, maybe I have a course with him or something," she tried explaining, but in truth, she wasn't sure herself. She had been studying the mysterious man's face on and off again, but unfortunately, she was so far away from him that he was practically hidden beneath his glasses. He had a perfect oval face, and he tended to purse his lips occasionally. Thick black hair was pulled away from his face into a bun, signifying that his hair is on the longer side. Her contemplating was abruptly cut when Takada gripped her chin and turned her face towards his. His mouth pressed hard against hers, no passion other than whatever the liquor was fueling was behind his kiss. Light could feel herself getting gradually annoyed with Takada. He was comparable to a puppy - constantly needing attention, and always nipping at her heels. He noticed her lack of interest and pulled back, his arms still wrapped around her body, hugging her to him forcefully._

 _"Jeez, you need to lighten up," Takada then grabbed a shot from somewhere and stuck the rim against Light's lips. Although annoyed, she didn't want to reject free alcohol, nor did she want to cause a scene, so she took the shot like a champ. And then another one, and then another one. The liquor burned her throat but filled her with confidence and newfound clarity. She looked across the bar at Raye again, and Takada snapped. "You're looking at him again?" He growled. "Jeez, I'm sorry that I'm not entertaining you," he continued sarcastically, slurring his words. Typically, Takada is a charming and well-mannered guy, but alcohol seemed to bring out the possessiveness and jealousy in him. Light rolled her eyes at him, causing his face to redden with anger._

 _"Don't be an idiot, Kiyomo," she responded cooly. "You should really lay off the whiskey, it makes you a complete drag." She sipped her beverage, but maintained hard eye contact with her boyfriend. He stared blankly at her for a moment, but then he opened his mouth to say something, and then he clamped his lips together in a thin line._

 _"Me being a drag?" he asked incredulously. "You literally can't take your eyes off the guy at the bar when you have a perfectly fine boyfriend in front of you."_

 _Light laughed out loud, and then flashed a bitter grin. "My, aren't you arrogant. I was looking at him because I know him from somewhere, not because I want to fuck him or anything like that. For someone so arrogant, it's hilarious how insecure you can be."_

 _Takada glowered at her, "for a pretty little girl, you certainly are a complete bitch!"_

 _Light's calm exterior cracked, no doubt the alcohol pushed her to crack so easily. "You know what, I don't need you! Fuck off or I promise you'll regret crossing me," she hissed at him. The thought of writing his name in the Deathnote crossed her mind suddenly. Luckily for Takada and her, he took the cue and stormed off._

 _He could be aggressive at times, but ultimately he always responds submissively when I finally get mad and snap at him,_ Light reflected. She shrugged at the memory of the night before. As far as she was concerned, they were done and she did not give a damn. _He was a pain in the ass anyway, if I could have it my way, his name would be in the Deathnote, and he'd be sharing a fate with Naomi Misora._ Sighing, she quickly gathered her belongings and headed out the door. Unfortunately for Light, she realized that after her public spat with Takada, it would be highly suspicious if he disappeared. She was already in the hot seat with the Kira investigation, so she didn't want or need any additional suspicions. Watari, her new chauffeur evidently, was waiting in his vehicle just outside her home. She quickly slid into the backseat, apologizing for the delay.

"Are the other task force members mad?" she asked, almost shyly. Besides her father, the only opinion that mattered to her was L's. It was true that she did not recognize him initially, and in fact it wasn't until he was in her bedroom that she was confident in her realization. Perhaps it was due to the better lighting, or maybe it was just her sobering up, but without a doubt, the moment that she truly knew his identity was when he introduced himself as "Raye." _Raye Penber...he feels like a ghost from so long ago,_ Light reflected. She recalled the pride she felt in how she manipulated him so easily. She remembered feeling almost gleeful when the two of them met eyes and he choked on his last breath with the grave understanding of the situation. It was nothing personal, him and the rest of the agents simply needed to die. _Maybe if there is indeed a heaven, Raye and Namoi are together in the afterlife..._ Light shook her head at that thought - there is no heaven or hell, only this world and the Shinigami realm exist. _The people want a God to worship, they can worship me...Kira. I'm the God of this new world._

"Do not worry yourself, my dear, everyone is entitled to be late once in a while," he responded with a smile. He truly was a kind man, however, Light wondered how a humble man such as Watari came to be with someone like L. She smiled warmly back at him, and then enjoyed the remainder of the ride to headquarters in a comfortable silence.

* * *

"Ah, Light has finally graced us with her presence," L mumbled. He was in his usual position, perched with knees to his chest and feet bare. He sat staring at the television set, watching the static of a finished tape. He made no movements to indicate that he was going to look at Light as she cautiously stepped into the room. The rest of the task force greeted her pleasantly. "While you decided that sleeping was of higher importance than catching a nationwide serial killer, we received a message from the second Kira."

Light's mouth popped open and a small gasp escape. _What?! It can't be..._ she was not expecting a message so soon - was it possible that she and the second Kira had crossed paths? She was so thrown off by the message that she almost overlooked L's attitude with her.

"Wait, what? A message came in already?" she fumbled over her words. _I'm too damn hungover to speak,_ she thought bitterly.

"Either you still aren't completely coherent, or I stuttered," his tone had an edge to it. "I doubt it's the latter of the two options."

Light's eyes narrowed, and she glared into the back of his head. "Yeah, sorry that some of us have lives outside of this task force," she grumbled. With that, he finally snapped his head around and looked at her incredulously. His typically calm and mono-tone facade was cracked, and seeing the gray storms in his eyes got Light to instinctively recoil slightly.

"It is interesting that you should say that, Light, because it seems as though you have unintentionally increased your chances of being Kira," L said, his words laced with venom. The task force was surprisingly silent, their expressions clouded with some sort of understanding that Light was yet to be part of. Light shifted awkwardly on her feet.

"What is it this time?" she questioned. _It has to do with the message from the second Kira, there is no other explanation. Dammit this second Kira is causing me too much trouble._

L tore his gaze away from Light's eyes and re-started the message.


	14. Chapter 14

Light listened intently to the distorted voice. Despite the manipulation of the second Kira's voice, their cadence exhibited excitement. The message was as short as it was simple: "I have found Kira, to all the people at the television station and the police department, thank you very much for your help."

 _What?!_ Light glowered internally. She recalled all interactions with strangers from the day before, but none seemed to truly stand out. _There is no way I interacted with the second Kira, whoever it was must have picked me out from the crowd...somehow._ With that, she shot a quick, scathing look at Ryuk who was just grinning at the television screen. Light's knowledge, which of course had been provided by Ryuk, was that it would be impossible to tell who the shinigami was tied to if she was in a crowd of people and Ryuk just hovered above the group. _Obviously that was incorrect._ She scoffed, and realized that all attention was on her now.

As calmly as she could manage, she stated, "Ryuzaki, I think it's safe to assume that because the second Kira spotted Kira very recently, you believe this occurred in Aoyama. Am I correct?"

 _An obvious assumption with an even more obvious answer,_ L thought with a sigh. "Yes." His cool eyes bore into Light's, but Light refused to break eye contact. _Light has to be Kira, there is no other explanation. It is far too coincidental that the day Light is scouting happens to be the day that the second Kira claims to have found Kira,_ L bit his thumb as he continued to ponder, _no, this is beyond coincidence._ Light barely reacted to his answer, clearly she suspected he would respond this way.

"Have you considered that perhaps nothing happened in Aoyama, or that maybe I am actually not Kira?" She questioned. _I don't know why I even bother, nothing I say will change his mind. So long as there is no evidence of me meeting the second Kira, I am completely safe,_ she assured herself. Despite the obvious flaw with L suspecting Light as Kira, no true evidence, she couldn't help but still feel uneasy about this whole ordeal. _What am I so concerned over?_

"I suppose it is possible, although the likelihood of that being the case is incredibly slim," he suddenly popped out of his seat and began walking into an adjoining room. Light and all of the others looked at each other and followed suit. "I do have an idea that might prove successful; We'll draft up a message for the FBI to broadcast, specifically for the second Kira - something along the lines of 'don't be deceived, Kira is a highly dangerous individual, if you provide information on Kira then your crimes will be excused,'" L crouched into a chair and began toying with a cup of tea that was positioned on the table in front of him. "Or something to that effect."

The detectives all murmured words of approval and then followed with questions.

"Do you think the second Kira will go for that?" Soichiro asked.

L plopped a few sugar cubes into his tea and answered flatly, "I doubt it, it's clear that the second Kira is infatuated with the idea of Kira, however, this will force another interaction. Either the second Kira will initiate a meeting, or," he brought the tea to his lips and locked eyes with Light, "Kira will take matters into her own hands."

" _His_ own hands," she corrected brusquely. Her and L maintained hard eye contact while the others seemed pleased with L's line of thinking. _Damn him, this really forces my hand, doesn't it? I better pray that the second Kira isn't a coward and runs to police with information. I need to find this person as soon as possible, but how?_

Ryuk chuckled behind her, "How interesting Light, I thought since the two of you were so close now, he would get off your back a bit, but I guess I'm wrong."

 _Stupid shinigami, don't you get it? L didn't weasel his way into my pants out of feelings of infatuation, he schemed to fuck me so that he could get closer to me for evidence of me being Kira._ She was furious at herself for allowing him to get as close as he did, but also furious because she enjoyed it so much. _If circumstances were different, maybe he and I..._ she quickly pushed that hypothetical aside. _No, I will not go down that route. There are many other men out there, men that look like him that aren't him. I can find a distraction in a stranger that won't be trying to have me executed._

* * *

After the team assisted in drafting the message, they began calling it a night. As much as Light wanted to just escape with them, she felt the overwhelming need to confront L for the night before. She saw the others out, and then locked the hotel door. Her heart beat accelerated as she walked back into L's room. _What do I say to him? That I know he was Raye, that I know he was following me? Do I tell him how good he made me feel and how much this sucks?_ She battled with what to say as she entered his room. He was crouched on the floor with his knees pulled to his chest, reading intently over some files sprawled out before him.

She cleared her throat before beginning, "okay, I'm just going to come right out and say it, but I think we need to address the elephant in the room."

L glanced up at her and said flatly, "that's not a very nice thing to say about Watari."

Light shrieked, not having realized that Watari sat reading quietly in the opposite corner of the room. _Wait, was that...a joke? From L?_

"Huh? What - that's not what I -" Light stammered. _Dammit, I came in prepared to confront him and now this...wait...that sneaky bastard._ Suddenly it dawned on her that perhaps the joke L made was intended to throw her off. She shuffled her feet awkwardly as Watari excused himself from the room.

"Very good sir, I will return in the morning," Watari proclaimed as he gently closed the door, leaving only L and Light inside.

"You were saying?" L questioned after he was sure Watari was no longer in the hotel suite.

Light sighed, trying to work back up the courage she was feeling initially. "I was saying that we need to talk, about, well, you know."

L blinked up at her, his face void of any emotion or recognition to what she was getting at. "Regarding what, specifically?"

 _Difficult bastard,_ Light grumbled to herself. "Oh come on, you know what I'm talking about."

L shrugged, and leaned back onto his elbows, his face still the picture of innocence.

He observed her facial changes - Light's patience was beginning to flicker, and a blush from frustration and embarrassment spread across her cheeks. _How precious,_ L thought.

"Don't make me spell it out, you know damn well what I'm referring to," she whined, looking at her feet. L cocked his head to the side, and pursed his lips in thought.

"Hmm, are you referring to our conversation today?" He asked in a slight playful tone.

Light pinched the bridge of her nose and blurted, "I'm referring to us almost fucking last night!" _Well that could've gone smoother._

When she heard no response from L, she glanced up coyly at him, and was surprised to see that he was smiling at her.

"So, you finally figured out who 'Raye' was?" He asked, a smile still faint on his lips.

Light scoffed at him, and lied, "oh please, I knew it was you the whole time." She stood defiantly, confidently, until she realized the implications of what she just lied about.

"Interesting, I did not realize that the feeling was mutual," L rose to his feet and sauntered to her. "And here I assumed that it was all a big misunderstanding."

"What do you mean?" Light asked suspiciously.

"You're an observant woman, I'm sure I don't need to admit that I was trailing you," L started, noting Light's eyes narrowing at him. "You won't receive an apology from me, after all, it is my duty to be thorough in such a high-profile investigation."

"Yeah, well was it your duty to be so thorough with my body too?" She blurted out angrily.

He smirked, and continued, ignoring her outburst. "Obviously you would have caught on immediately if 'L' were trailing you, so I disguised myself. Not well enough, but still, sufficient enough for Matsuda to not recognize me. I suppose I could have called it a night after you and your friends entered the bar, however, I was curious, and so I stayed."

L was taking small steps toward her, and she instinctively took small steps backwards. She scoffed, "curious about what?"

"Besides observing your interactions with others, I was curious if you recognized me, if you would approach me. It was...entertaining to watch you interact with your friends. More entertaining that I passively caused such a disruption in your relationship."

 _Oh yeah, he did see Takada and I split,_ Light recalled their fight, and how L was not wrong in that he played a passive role in their break-up. She gave L a small smile, "don't beat yourself up, our break-up was long overdue."

"I don't mind, really," L mused. "Clearly he didn't know how to handle a woman like you."

 _"_ What? Like you could handle me," Light responded sardonically.

"I could," a small smile tugged at the corner of L's mouth. "And if I recall correctly, I handled you quite well, multiple times last night."

 _Oh the arrogance!_ Light sneered, but couldn't fight the blush that rose in her face.

While deciding on her retort, she felt something hard against her back. Realizing that she walked herself into the wall, literally and figuratively, she suddenly felt defenseless. L planted his hands against the wall, one framing either side of her head. Light bit her bottom lip in anticipation.

"You said earlier that you didn't realize 'the feeling was mutual,' what did you mean?" She asked quietly, almost a whisper. He peered down at her, just inches from her face.

His smile was soft on his face, pleasant, and his normally cool eyes seemed to hold some warmth to them. "I seemed to have unintentionally developed a bit of a crush on you, Light Yagami." She gasped lightly, _is he for real?_ Her heart pounded in her chest - surely he could hear it. "I don't believe I'm wrong in saying that you feel the same about me."

It was a statement, not a question, and much to Light's dismay it was completely true.


End file.
